Melting in the Sun
by blackstarshining
Summary: Bella Swan, a city vet has moved to a small farming community to escape from life.  She wants nothing of friendship or love, but the owners of the local pub, a heartbroken woman and two young farmers, may not give her much choice.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N – Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. The rest however, is all mine.**

**This is my first fic, so thank you to my betas for this chapter – PerAmore91 and ****Angelz1114577 from Project Team Beta.**

Oo—oO

**Prologue**

**Bella**

I pulled into the petrol station and slowly rolled to a stop. It was small, old and pretty much deserted. I was about to open my door when there was a sudden tap on my window. I looked up, startled, to see a guy smiling at me. He motioned for me to roll it down.

"Fill her up?" he asked. I nodded mutely. I watched him as he proceeded to fill my car for me, surprised that petrol stations still hired people to do that for you. Once completed, he walked back to my window, still smiling.

"You want to go in and pay?" he asked kindly. I again nodded. "Thank you" I said, climbing out of the car. He nodded back at me, walking ahead as I followed him into the small building.

Walking back to my car after paying, I pulled my t shirt away from the front of my body, where it was stuck with sweat. I could feel the sun on my arms, already burning my skin and the dry heat was almost overwhelming. Also, there were flies. Everywhere. It had only taken me me a split second to get out of the car to pay and close the door behind me. When I climbed back in from paying for my petrol, I counted five of the little buggers; I couldn't blame them really; they were only trying to get out of the heat. I pressed the electric window button as I drove away. It took them two seconds to get in, and it took me at least three kilometres to get them all out.

As I drove, I looked outside of my car window. I was in the mid north of South Australia and I could see that the Summer heat had taken it's toll on the land. There were small patches of green, but mostly, the land was dry and brown. It was mostly flat, but I could also see smaller hills in the distance, with groups of sheep huddled under any trees they could find in order to shelter from the sun. The road was grey and brown in colour, a mixture of bitumen and dirt. Along the edges of the road however, the dirt became less brown and changed to clumps of rusty red that the cockatoos were picking at. This was farming land, something I wasn't all that familiar with. I fidgeted in my seat, trying to rid myself of the nervousness in my stomach. It was pointless, it had been there for a few months now; it wasn't going anywhere.

I knew that I was running. Running away, really. I'd tried my best and now it was time to go. I wanted a place where no one knew me, where I could just work and not have to try. Try to be someone I wasn't, try to be friends with people I couldn't relate to any more. Try to love someone, someone who obviously no longer wanted to love me. I just wanted to be. So here I am; a city girl, driving miles away into the middle of nowhere, to start my new job as a country vet. I just hope the locals are friendly.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own the rest.

A/N Just a couple of things – I'm not a vet in real life, so I'm sorry for any errors. Also, there are reasons for an M rating and I'm using a few of them - just so you know. I'm also Australian, so sorry if my 'Australianisms' offend you. If they confuse you, just ask and I will try to explain. Cheers.

Finally...thank you to the awesome betas for this chapter from Project Team Beta – Janie-HistoryBookWorm and the lovely LoriAnnTwiFan. Thanks for putting up with my crap punctuation and the fact that it takes my brain forever to work things out :)

**Chapter 1**

Oo—oO

**Bella**

I stopped the car in front of the house and double checked the number, yep this was it, number 7. I opened the car door and stepped out, shielding my eyes from the sun, and I took a good look around me. The short street was deserted, with only four or five houses on it. On the other side of the street was a well maintained reserve with a large piece of land at the roadside. The lawn had turned a light brown colour with the heat. I could see that across the reserve, there was fencing that appeared to border the local school.

Excellent, with any luck, I'll be pretty much left alone, I thought to myself. I shook my head, looked down, and searched in my bag for the keys while I walked towards the front door. The house itself looked small from the outside. It had a cottage feel to it with a whitewashed front fence, front decking and three steps leading up to the door. The front yard had at least six rose bushes on either side of the slate path to the door. There were three large front windows and a pretty wooden bench on the porch. It was nice, comforting, and mine. The thought was both exciting and, because of how I came to be here, also a little depressing.

I inserted my key in the lock, turned it and opened the front door. It opened straight into a hallway. I walked through it and discovered that the house itself was not as small as it looked from the outside. The hallway was painted a pale blue, with dark timber floorboards. It looked as though it ran almost the full length of the house. I found the lounge room directly to the right, with dark cream walls, a high window facing the front of the house and the same floorboards. There was also an open fireplace with a mantelpiece above it. The removalists had already been here, as I could see my deep brown, suede chaise lounge where it stood opposite the fireplace, with the thick sheepskin rug on the floor between them. I was pleased that the house looked so gorgeous with all of my things in it.

Walking back across the hall opposite the lounge, I found the master bedroom. Now, this room – I like, I thought. This bedroom was made up of dark wooden floors, light chocolate walls, another large floor to ceiling window and my favourite piece of furniture, my bed, sat in the centre of the room. My king size bed was high, with a large headboard made of Baltic timber, and was extremely comfortable. My cream bedding completed the look, and I could not wait to go to bed that night. I spied the en suite door in the corner and another small door leading to the walk in robe.

I turned around and walked down the hallway again and found two more bedrooms, all dark timber floors, pretty pink walls and gauzy, floating curtains. I forgot the agent had told me that the previous owners had two girls, which would explain the feminine touches. Another bathroom followed that, and at the end of the hallway was a doorway leading out into another large living area. A family room on the left, holding my leather lounge and two matching arm chairs, my plasma television already installed on the wall and timber coffee table in the middle. There was a large, long dining area along the back wall, housing the timber 10 seater dining table, with more floor to ceiling windows looking out into the rear yard. Finally, two steps to the right led down to a large kitchen. The cupboards painted white and there was a large island bench in the middle. Considering I barely looked at the place, I was happy. I followed the French doors outside onto the back deck and discovered the rear yard. The decking I stood on stepped down onto the back lawn, which led to the in-ground pool. I walked up to the safety gate and opened it, stepping in and up to the edge. Looking down, I could see my reflection in the water, staring back at me completely calm and clear. I only wished I could feel that way.

The only unpacking left to do was the boxes and bags that I had brought with me. However, I first needed to go out and look around at the surgery, meet my staff and make sure that I didn't need to get anything. I also realised I had no food. Okay, also need to find a supermarket, or a shop cause I don't think there is a supermarket here. I grabbed my car keys again and walked out, locking the door behind me.

Back in the car, I cranked up the air conditioning as I made a turn down the main street. If there was a supermarket of some sort in the town, it was bound to be here. The street itself was two lanes, with a large traffic island in between the lanes, which served as parking for the shops. I spotted what looked to be the local pub – a large brick building with glass front doors that obviously opened into the front bar. I knew this because the doors were currently open, giving me a view of approximately six people sitting at the bar on stools. There were a few small tables outside on the footpath, underneath shade sails that had been installed. Looking closely, I was impressed that the pub itself was well kept and had clearly been upgraded. I hoped they served decent meals, because cooking for one wasn't a lot of fun. Slowing down, I found the local shop and pulled into a park. It looked a little old and worn, like a lot of the shop fronts on the street, but it would have to do. As I approached, the electronic doors opened, and I found myself in a small version of a supermarket. There were approximately half a dozen isles, with the usual fluorescent lighting and two cashiers up front. I walked past one of them where a young teenage girl was leaning up against the counter reading the latest Famous magazine. I continued walking down the first isle checking out the items on the shelves, engrossed in what I should make for tea, when I heard footsteps coming towards me. I looked up and spied a young boy standing there, maybe 18 or so, dressed in a pair of jeans and a short sleeved polo top with the name of the store embroidered in the top corner. As I looked at him, he smiled and gave me a small wave. I gave him a slight smile in return, and he pointed at me.

"You're the new vet," he stated while still smiling. I nervously tucked my hair behind my ear as I looked at him.

"Um yeah, I am. Just got here actually, I'm Bella -"

"-Swan, yeah I know. My nan told me you were coming. You're from the city," he stated again, leaning against the shelf behind him.

"...yes, I guess." I replied, not really knowing what else to say. The boy held out his hand to shake mine and I tentatively placed my hand in his as he smiled widely.

"I'm Tyler Cope. My nan's Fran Cope; she owns this place. You also bought your house from her." My eyes widened, surprised

"Really?" I asked him. He nodded.

"Yep. She decided it was time to move out when Pop died, but she didn't move far."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Is she going well?" I asked. He smiled.

"Oh yeah, she's a tough old bird. She found him in the bedroom, you know?" No Tyler, I didn't know, but thanks for telling me. "You'll get to know her; she only moved two houses down. She's also involved in practically everything this town has to offer. You'll know her when you see her. She's about 4'11", with white hair and has a voice that dogs can hear for miles," he said with a smile. I laughed.

"Okay, well, I look forward to meeting her. It was nice to meet you Tyler."

"No worries; see you later," he gave a wave and moved off, walking towards one of the registers, and began talking to the small, red headed girl I had spotted earlier. She had put her magazine down and I noticed that she had the longest fake nails I had ever seen - and the biggest boobs. I watched her look over at me and heard a "Really?" Oh no, I thought, time to go.

Finding what I needed, I quickly moved towards the registers. I placed everything I had onto the counter and looked up at the redhead. She was staring at me, enthralled.

"How are ya? You're the new vet," she also declared, swiping my items. I looked at her, unsure, not quite knowing exactly how to respond.

"Yeah, I'm good thanks, and yeah...I am."

She continued to swipe for a few moments, lost in thought and stopped suddenly, looking at me smiling.  
>"It's good to see another girl out here, and if you came here wanting to be busy, then you came to the right place. Plenty of work here for a vet, what with the big farms around," she said cheerily "You got the big horse farm, the Lebrandi's own that. The whole family still lives there, in three homes scattered around the property. Bloody huge, that place is..." She then leaned towards me, giving me an unwelcome look at her enormous cleavage and lowered her voice to gossip mode. "Although, watch out for their daughter Jane; she's ten years older than me, maybe same age as you, real mole she is. Got her claws into one of the local hotties, though I don't know how. Thick as bottled shit, she is. She thinks she's better than everyone else, wears all the best clothes and won't have her hair done in town. You'd also better hope she's not around when you're called out there. Don't expect her to be nice to you, cause a smile would crack her face. Plus, I heard she was a real bitch to the old vet. Plenty of girls want to bitch slap her." She leaned in a little closer. " Then, there's the farm a few k's up the road." She fanned her face so dramatically, I was concerned she'd take an eye out with her nails "<em>T<em>_hat's_ the Cullen farm. Oh Jesus, you ever get called out there, give me a call, yeah? I'll come help. Shit, I'll even stick my arm up a cow's arse for ya, to get a look at them-"  
>"Good luck with that – they don't have any cows," Tyler muttered in the background.<p>

She turned and gave him the finger, then looked at me, raised one eyebrow and continued, leaning back in.

"So, they have mainly sheep and horses, but really-" she glanced at Tyler pointedly "- who gives a rat's arse about that? It's the men - oh God...the men...are hot...not only the two brothers that own it, but the other guys that work there..." she stopped to take a breath. "My mate Lauren reckons the brothers are gay, cause we never see them with any chicks, and they hire such fuckhot workers. But I just think they're shy, and I'm willing to find out – you know?" She cackled and jabbed me in the ribs, raising her eyebrows. "They hardly come in here when I'm here, and the last time one of them did – knob head over there got to serve him," she sighed and jerked her thumb in Tyler's direction. "Bloody waste of time that was. That arse hole wouldn't even take a picture on his phone for me of the view when Jasper dropped his can of baked beans and had to bend over and pick it up."

"Jasper?" I asked her, confused.

"One of the brothers," she answered impatiently. "Don't worry, you'll be round there all the time, you lucky bitch." She sighed, then looked at me. "So...are you single?"

I thought about my answer.

"Um...I suppose, but I'm really not interested in men right now-"

"- You're switching teams?" she asked excitedly.

Oh how I wish I could...

"No, just not interested," I answered awkwardly.

"Ohhhhhhh." She looked at me as if she had realised something. "The last boyfriend was a bit of an arse hole, hey? Don't worry, you'll get over him, and the best way to do that is by getting under another, my mum always says." She snickered. I cringed internally with that thought as she continued. "Never mind, you can still look though." She had finished packing up my stuff, and I gave her the money then picked up my bags.

"Yeah, maybe." I said in a non-committal tone as I looked at her name tag. "Well, thanks Jess. I guess I'll see you next time." She smiled brightly, and I suddenly noticed when she did so, that she was in fact, really very pretty.

"Yeah, no worries. See you round." I looked around her to Tyler.

"See you later Tyler," I called out. He saluted me, and I walked out of the store to my car.

**Edward**

Shit, not again, I thought as I watched through the front window of the lounge room to see the familiar car drive down our driveway.

Jane Lebrandi.

The bane of my existence. The pain in my arse. We'd known each other since birth-living on neighbouring properties, going to the same schools and knowing the same people. Although I knew her so well, it still didn't mean that I liked her. However, I could not escape her - ever since we were sixteen and she kissed me at Mike Nichol's eighteenth. She cornered me in his dad's shed and stuck her tongue down my throat before I could get away from her. From then on, she was under the false impression that we were meant to be together. It also didn't help that her parents were desperate for the two of us to marry, thereby joining the properties of the two families. She was also an only child; utterly spoilt by her parents for her entire life and completely ruthless when it came to me. That was the only reason why I kept any girls I happened to be seeing quiet; I didn't want to watch Jane scratch their eyes out. If I took a girl out, it was into a nearby town, or quietly at home. Not that there were that many, single women were few and far between in a town like ours. But I hadn't done too badly, and I had no intentions of letting Jane ruin my sex life. It was bad enough she was involved in every other aspect of it.

Jane 'dropped' around at least once a day, to check up on stock, have a chat, drop off food, to try to catch me in my undies...I couldn't stand her. But... I was a gentleman, and my father, Carlisle, had drilled into me the importance of being respectful to women - especially the importance of getting along with the neighbours. However, my parents didn't really care if Jane and I got together or not. In fact, I thought they'd be disappointed if we did.

I continued to watch Jane through the front window as she lowered the rear-view mirror in the car to check her reflection and put something on her lips. I knew what it was, it was that revolting stuff that Jasper called Pink Arse - it smelled like fake strawberries and had the consistency of phlegm. She had been wearing it that night at Mike's and had never changed it. I reckoned it gave me a rash the next day. As I saw her get out of the car, I took off running down the hallway.

"Jasper!" I whisper-shouted as I ran into the kitchen.

My brother Jasper was leaning against the counter, clad in old ripped jeans and a dark blue singlet. He was barefoot, with one hand on the sandwich that was half inside his mouth and the other on the remote control and scrolling through the channels on the small TV we had on the bench.

"What?" he answered looking over at me, then inhaled in surprise and started choking on a piece of lamb. Bits of chewed up food went everywhere as he coughed and tried to expel the piece lodged in his throat. I walked over and thumped him on the back. Eventually, he stood upright again, leant over and took a drink from his glass.

"Jesus, what's wrong?" he spluttered, eyes watering, as he tried to wipe down the front of his top with the kitchen cloth.

"Jane's here!" I whispered frantically. "I need you to answer the door and tell her I've gone out." I had spun my head around too quickly as I listened out for the front door bell. So quickly that it jarred my neck, and I winced, grabbing hold of it.

"Shit! That hurt! This girl is gonna be the death of me!"

The bastard laughed – hard, as he looked up at the ceiling. I noticed he had a piece of masticated bread stuck to one of his cheeks. I didn't tell him.

"That girl's persistent, I'll give her that. She's gonna notice your ute is here, you dick – she'll know I'm lying." He forced out through his laughter. I glared at him.

"Well, tell her I'm out checking the sheep on the rear paddock. Tell her I've taken one of the bikes out there. Tell her I'll be a while…shit, tell her I've moved there permanently." I continued to whisper as I resisted the urge to clutch at his singlet.

This only made him laugh harder. "Alright! You wait here; I'll get rid of her." With that, he sauntered into the hallway as the doorbell rang, whistling away to himself. I peered around the doorway of the kitchen and watched him reach forward and open the door.

"Jane! How are you sweetheart?" he asked heartily as he leant casually against the open door. I chuckled to myself because I knew that would bother her. Jasper had a habit of referring to women as sweetheart or darlin'. Most loved it, hell, they encouraged it, except for Jane Lebrandi. She hated it, so he did it all the more.

"Hello Jasper, how are you today?" she asked primly, peeking hopefully around him. I hugged closer into the door frame because I swear she could smell me from a distance. God knows she had super powers. I'd seen her nearly neuter at least three men with a glare.

"Aw, not bad at all, how about you?" he asked her, leaning further against the door as he crossed his arms.

"I'm well, thank you. As lovely as it is to see you, I was actually hoping that Edward might be in...I need to discuss the fencing along the northern borderline with him."

Fencing, my arse, I thought to myself. She was dressed in some fancy black pants and shirt with friggin' heels on, and she comes around to talk fences?

"Nah, sorry darlin', Edward's gone out to the rear paddock on the bike to check out some sheep. Reckon he'll be gone a while." He crossed his feet at the ankles and smiled lazily. I almost felt bad about the bread on his face now.

"Oh." Jane said disappointedly, clasping her hands together in front of her.

There was silence, then Jasper asked, "Can I maybe help you?"

"Oh, no thank you Jasper. I really needed to see Edward. Could you possibly tell him I popped around? Will he be at the market tomorrow?" she asked hopefully. The market - I had forgotten about the monthly farmer's market. Jasper nodded at her.

"Yep, I reckon we will both be there. You can chat to him then. In fact, I bet he'll be real pleased to see you," he said slyly. I no longer felt bad about the bread, the arse hole.

Jane's face lit up. "Really? Well, in that case I shall see you both there. Bye, Jasper." she sang as she turned and skipped down the steps to get back into her car. Jasper pushed the door shut, then leaned against it and let out a contented sigh.

"Ahhh...young love," he said. "Ohhhh Edwaaaaard, you can come out now."

"You're a dead man," I declared as I stepped out of the kitchen and walked towards him. "Why'd you tell her that?" I hissed at him. "She won't leave me alone tomorrow now."

"You know," he said smugly, as he looked at me. "You could do a lot worse." He turned his head and peered out the front window as Jane walked back to her car. "She hasn't got a bad arse on her."

He barely got the last words out as he started laughing. I took off towards him, and he darted out of my reach, running out the back door.

**Bella**

After my interesting visit to the shops, I took everything home and decided to head off to the surgery. They weren't expecting me until Monday, but it was Saturday - I was free, and I wanted to avoid unpacking those boxes and cases I had put in the bedroom for as long as possible. I felt a bit grotty from driving all the way from the city, and I knew I was sweaty from the immense heat, so I decided to change my clothes. I walked into my bedroom and pulled up one of the cases onto the bed. Rummaging through, I found a pair of cargos and a fitted t-shirt and threw them on. As I was doing so, I heard my phone beep with an incoming text from my purse. I froze. There were only a handful of people that would send me a message on my phone, and I knew it wasn't my parents; my mum and dad didn't text - they found it difficult enough to set up their old VCR to record from the TV.

I slowly lowered myself down onto my bed and reached for my purse. Opening it, I removed my phone and slid my thumb across the screen, making it come alive, revealing to me the sender's name.

Peter

Screwing my eyes shut, I instantly pushed my finger on the close message option and threw my phone on the bed. I sat there and stared at it, willing myself not to look at the message that would surely continue to destroy me. That would make me wonder again how I could have possibly fallen in love with that man and stayed with him, while he whittled away at the different parts of me that I was proud of, that I cherished – until I failed to retain almost any part of me at all. Choosing to leave my phone behind, I slowly rose from the bed and walked to the front door and to my car.

I pulled into a car park in front of the surgery and looked out the window. The surgery was surprisingly modern: a medium sized house repainted and very neat, with a long driveway and a light blue front door. There was a sign out the front announcing it as 'Peterstown Veterinary Surgery.' I climbed out of the car and walked quickly up the driveway to the door. Opening it,

I found myself in a large front room with a pale blue counter stretching from one side of the room to the other. Behind the counter was a doorway leading into a back room and another door to the right. It was tidy, organised and better yet, thanks to the air conditioning, it was cool. I walked up to the counter. As I reached it, a tall woman walked into the room from the doorway behind the counter. The first thing I noticed about her was that she was beautiful – completely and naturally beautiful. She had long blonde hair falling in waves down her back, smooth brown skin and a slim, athletic body. She was wearing a uniform of blue pants and a pale blue short-sleeve polo top. I instantly felt a little self-concious. If I was honest with myself, I knew I wasn't ugly, but next to her, I just felt so plain. My own hair was brown, neither curly nor straight, and it hung halfway down my back. I didn't tan, ever. My skin was pale, so I burnt in the sun and then instantly peeled, revealing a perfect layer of pale skin again. I was slim but with few curves - especially compared to this ideal woman.

When she spotted me, she gave me a wide smile.

"Hello, how can I help you?" she asked kindly. I smiled back in response.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan, the new vet."

Her smile became even wider. "Bella! It's so good to see you; I've been looking forward to you coming here! I'm Rose, your nurse, and I also do reception." She gestured to the doorway behind her. "Come on out back, and I'll show you around."

I followed her through to a room which was obviously the examination room. It had a small metal table in the middle, with a desk behind it holding a computer and various shelving and posters around the walls. Rose stopped in the middle of the room to face me.

"This is the examination room. Although we are a small country town, we do have a fairly large small animal practice. The majority of your time, however, will be with the properties just outside of town. They hold mainly sheep, cattle and horses, and most of it will be smaller stuff like vaccinations, swellings, torn muscles, especially at the Lebrandi's place, as they have a lot of horses and are quite particular about the health of their stock," she explained. I frowned slightly, recalling my conversation with Jess earlier.

"As in Jane Lebrandi?" I asked, and Rose's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"You've heard about her?" she asked, surprised.

"Jess at the shop was telling me," I explained, and Rose started laughing

"Yeah, I bet she was. Jess despises Jane. Though, I don't blame her one bit as Jane Lebrandi is a first class bitch, pardon my language."

"No, that's fine. Give it to me straight." I laughed lightly and assured her as her smile widened and she continued to explain.

"The previous vet, Lou, dreaded going to the Lebrandi place, which usually happens a lot of the time. Jane was an absolute cow to her, telling her how to do her job and belittling her in front of others. You see, Jane has a habit of disliking other women, all other women in fact. Especially the attractive ones. So watch out, cause she'll definitely have her claws out for you."

I shook my head.

"I doubt it, but thanks for the heads up. Hopefully, I'll have time to settle in before I have to go out there," I hoped. Rose looked unsure.

"Hmmm, let's hope so. So how are you settling in? Do you need a hand with anything?" she asked.

I shook my head again.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm managing okay. Pretty much everything has already been done by the moving company anyway."

She nodded at me.

"No worries. Have you gotten to know anyone here yet? Although, you just got here today, didn't you? So, that would be impressive if you have." She laughed and then smiled wryly. "Don't worry though, it won't take some people long around here to get to know you, whether you want it or not."

I bit the inside of my mouth because that's exactly what I was dreading. The last thing I wanted was to have to socialise, as I wasn't so sure if I knew how to do that anymore. It would mean talking, liking, trusting, being normal...things I hadn't done in a long time. I put on a non-committal smile and spoke.

"Well, I pretty much like to keep to myself, and the job will keep me busy too, you know... being on call a lot of the time. So, it's easier that way," I explained.

She looked at me quizzically.

"Are you busy tomorrow? You don't officially start until Monday," She reminded me.

My brain started to frantically race, thinking of an excuse.

"Well, I have a lot of boxes to still unpack." Shit that was crap, I thought as soon as I said it because I knew that those boxes could stay there until Christmas for all I cared. But it was as good an excuse as any, even though Rose didn't look convinced.

"Really? Well, can you spare a couple of hours? I want to take you somewhere where you can meet some of the farmers that you'll be dealing with. It will be good for them to know you before you turn up at their door," she persisted.

I hesitated, trying to think of a way to say no politely. After all, I was going to be working closely with Rose, and the last thing I wanted to do was offend her. Not coming up with one, I decided that a couple of hours wouldn't hurt, and it was work related.

"Ok, just a couple of hours I guess. What did you have in mind?" I asked. She beamed at me.

"Well, the farmers market is on the third Sunday of each month, and it's basically a bunch of stalls with home-made produce and crafts to buy. There is fresh fruit and veggies, and a lot of the farmers go, just to have a chat. It's also across from the pub, so they usually sit in there while their wives and families have a look around. My boyfriend and I go most months and then have lunch at the pub afterwards, and I'd love it if you could join us?"

I smiled tightly, giving in.

"That would be lovely, thanks. But, only for a couple of hours, yeah?" I confirmed.

"Of course! Guaranteed!" She smiled. I bit the inside of my mouth again.

After being shown around the rest of the surgery by Rose, I drove back home. I walked inside and slammed the door shut behind me, and I realised that I had never been so glad to have air conditioning in my house before. After a day in the heat, my house was stifling, so I turned the dial up to the highest level and made my way down to the kitchen. As I was pulling a frying pan out of the drawer, I heard the chime of the doorbell. I placed it back into its place, walked back down the hallway to open the door and found an elderly woman standing there, smiling.

"Hello," I said, unsure as the woman reached out her hand for me to shake. I gently placed my hand in hers and was surprised to find that her grip was strong.

"Hello, Bella dear. I'm Fran, your neighbour," she explained as I recognised the name from my conversation with Tyler. I started to smile, then blushed as she obviously scrutinised me from head to toe.

"Are you getting settled in okay?" she asked, and I nodded.

"I am, thank you. I actually met your grandson today at the supermarket, and he told me all about you and that you were the owner of this house." I paused. "I'm very sorry about your husband," I said quietly, and she smiled sadly.

"Thank you Bella, but I've no doubt that he's enjoying himself where he is now." We smiled at each other until I saw a gradual shift in her face, a sly smile and cheekiness as she changed the subject. "So...I was talking to my grandson today, and he did tell me about your meeting at the supermarket. What he failed to tell me, however, was just how attractive you are," she observed as I started blushing again. "Yes, you'll have the hearts all aflutter around here, and that's just the young ladies having a heart attack." She cackled. I frowned at her, confused. She indicated for me to follow her as we made our way over to the love seat on the front porch and sat down. I turned slightly to look at her, and she was grinning.

"I see you don't understand, Bella. I'll explain so you won't be so surprised when it happens. You see, in a town like this, there aren't a lot of eligible men to choose from, and those that are halfway decent are mostly already taken. However, this town does boast a few single lads who - as young Jess says at my shop – you wouldn't kick out of bed for farting." Her grin turned wicked, and she continued as I gaped at her. "Now, in your line of business, you'll get to meet them sooner, rather than later, as most of them work on, or own the various farms around town. So no doubt, you'll have a few of the local ladies knickers' in a twist over that and good, because they deserve it." She put her hand on my forearm. "They need a good kick up the backside, a few of them. Too nasty for their own good." She winked at me and nodded. "Yes, my Tyler said you were a good sort, and he's always right about a person's character."

I swallowed and tucked my hair behind my ear.

"Well... thank you? But I don't think they have anything to worry about with me. Plus, I'm really not interested in finding someone; I'd much rather be on my own for now," I explained and she smiled, seemingly satisfied.

"Yes, Tyler did mention something about that. Don't worry, you'll do well here; just don't take any rubbish from those women alright?" she asked me seriously, and I nodded. She patted my arm and rose from the chair, looking down at me fondly.

"Good girl... and remember, I'm only next door if you need anything." I started to shake my head when she continued. "Now, I know that you young women like to take care of yourselves, but nevertheless, us ladies also need to take care of each other." She looked over my shoulder at my home, softly smiling.

"There are so many lovely memories in that home for me, and a lot of love was alive there and still is. I'm glad I'm giving it to you; you look like you need it." She reached down and patted my arm again. I smiled.

"Thank you, Fran," I said sincerely

"You're more than welcome. Well, it's time for an old lady to go to bed. Goodnight, my love," she said as she smiled at me and turned away to walk down the path.

As she walked away, I sat on the seat and looked around. The air was still and quiet, and I could faintly make out the smell of someone's roast cooking. In the distance, I could hear a lawnmower and a few crickets starting up for the night, and on the street in front of me, three children were playing cricket, having dragged over an old metal rubbish bin to use as stumps. The sun had just started to find its way down, and I leaned back into the seat and tucked my arms around me, crossing my legs. There was a slight breeze moving my hair, making it tickle the skin of my neck as I continued to look out over my yard and watch the children laugh and shout happily as they threw and hit the ball to each other.

Oo—oO

A/N Hope you are liking it so far...I'd love it if you'd leave me a message and let me know ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own the rest.**

**Hope you like...Thanks for your feedback so far. Thanks also to those who have added this story to alerts and favourites. I really appreciate it.**

**Thanks also to the lovely betas for this chappie, over at PTB xox**

**Bella**

_What to wear, what to wear … Jeez, this could go on forever._

I sat down on my bed in frustration. Ten full minutes of looking at my clothes had not helped me in the slightest. I was still standing there in my towel, trying to work out what to wear. I wanted something that was casual, comfortable, cool, and that also looked marginally professional. I was going to be meeting a lot of clients today.

I fell back on the bed and closed my eyes. It was so quiet here, and I couldn't get used to it. Strangely enough, the silence had made it hard for me to sleep last night. I woke up regretting saying yes to Rose yesterday, but I knew it would be in my best interests to go. I sat up determinedly. _Okay, you're a big girl. Stand up, pick something, and get in the car. _I chose the first thing I put my hand on, a pale pink Billabong maxi dress. It was a light cotton material, that was strapless and fitted around my chest, making it flow around my lower body as I moved. I teamed it with a pair of white sandals with tiny straps across the top of my toes and around my ankle. I grabbed my purse and left. I was meeting Rose at her house at 11:00a.m and didn't want to be late.

The warm breeze hit me as I stepped out of my front door, instantly blowing my long hair across my face. I shook my head and spat the strands out from my mouth as I locked up. It felt as though a storm was coming. Apparently, it had been sweltering for days, and today it was darker than usual and more muggy than sunny. I hoped that any rain would hold off until I got home as I got into my car and backed out of the driveway.

Rose's house was pretty; there was no other way to describe it. Rose had filled me in on it during my visit to the clinic yesterday. It was built around 1920 and was originally a small cottage that she and her boyfriend had renovated but had still retained the charm and character of the original home. I walked up the front path and rang the doorbell. I could hear footsteps approaching the door. Whoever was going to answer was wearing heavy boots and sounded very large. The door swung open, and I was met with exactly what I expected. The man in front of me was tall, a little over six foot- with broad shoulders and very large biceps that were obvious underneath the fitted grey t-shirt that he wore with jeans. But even though his body size was intimidating, when I looked at his face, I found the complete opposite. This man radiated kindness. His face wore a large smile, making his eyes crinkle at the corners and giving him dimples in the middle of his cheeks, reminding me of a little boy. He had short brown hair and the bluest eyes. I instinctively smiled at him; I couldn't help it.

"Bella?" he asked, his smile widening.

"Yes," I nodded, and he stepped back, waving his hand to welcome me in before him.

"It's great to meet you. I'm Emmett, Rose's other half. Come in and sit down, Rose is nearly finished getting ready."

I stepped into the house, and Emmett led me through to their lounge room. The room was wide and had a wall of windows facing the front of the house. It was gorgeous and looked so warm and inviting. I sat down on one of the chairs near the window, and Emmett sat on the lounge next to it.

"I hear from Rose that you just got here yesterday? You come from Aelaine don't you?" he asked, as he leaned back against the seat.

"Yeah, I am from there. I'm still settling in a bit, but I've met a few people, and they've all been really welcoming."

He smiled widely. "That doesn't surprise me. I've lived here all my life, and the majority of people in this town are great."

"Emmett, are you scaring my new boss already?" I turned my head and noticed Rose had come into the room. She walked up to the lounge seat Emmett was sitting in and leaned over to kiss the side of his face. He made a big show of scrunching his face and wiping his cheek with the back of his hand, but anyone could see the adoration on his face when he turned to wink at her.

She looked at me and smiled. "Hey Bella, how are you?"

I returned her smile. "I'm great thanks. Your home is gorgeous, Rose."

Her smile widened to a beam "Thanks, it was definitely worth all the hard work. Although," she winked at me. "it doesn't have a pool..."

I laughed, and Emmett spun around to me. "That's right!Old Fran's place has that in-ground swimming pool; doesn't it?" He leaned in towards me. "Hey Bella, will you be my new best friend?" he asked eagerly. I laughed again as Rose bumped him on the bicep playfully with her elbow.

"You can come over anytime for a swim, Emmett. Just hop over the fence."

Emmett clapped his hands together once and yelled, "All right! Thanks Townie!"

Rose groaned, "Bella, you have no idea what you've done. Now, you will _never _get rid of him."

She was probably right. Actually, what _had _I done? I had deliberately put a spanner in the works of my plan for seclusion … and I couldn't understand why. All I knew was that there was something about Emmett that made me comfortable and he was an easy person to please. I certainly wasn't used to that. So, what could it hurt?

"That's okay, he'll be contained outside. I can handle that."

Rose laughed at my comment and shoved Emmett's arm again. "Okay come on, it's time to go," she said, and he stood, grabbed her hand and gestured for me to go ahead of them to the front door.

On Emmett's insistence, I decided to ride to the market with them. As I was strapping myself in, I noticed Rose looking at me in the mirror of her sun visor from the passenger seat. I smiled at her, and she returned the smile warmly. I was glad I had met her. She was kind; in fact they both were. I turned to look out of my window, and as Emmett pulled out of the driveway, he quickly looked over his shoulder at me.

"So Townie, Rosie tells me that you're single and on the prowl?"

"_EMMETT_!" Rose shouted and looked at him in dismay.

"What?" he asked her innocently.

"Don't ask her things like that!" she chastised him in a loud whisper.

"Like what? You told me she was single-" I jumped in to help him out.

"Rose is right. I'm not with anyone, but I am definitely _not _on the prowl," I said firmly.

He looked over his shoulder at me slyly.

"Not right now, but get a glimpse at the man meat on offer in this town, and then you will be." He grinned. Rose glared at him in warning.

"What?" he asked her innocently again. "I'm just letting the girl know there's potential, you know?"

"I don't think she wants to know Emmett," Rose said through clenched teeth. He got the message.

"Okay, but Townie, if you change your mind, let me know, yeah?" he asked me conspiratorially.

"Sorry Emmett, but there's not much chance of that," I said. He looked disappointed and sighed.

"What a waste," he said under his breath and shook his head.

When we arrived, I got out of the car and looked around. The market was larger than I expected and was held on what looked like the school oval. It had various stalls set up, and there were four-wheeled drives and utes parked haphazardly around the grounds next to them. Quite a few people about, standing mainly in groups and talking. I stood there and watched them timidly. Finally, Rose stepped over to me and touched my forearm.

"They look scary, but most people around here are really friendly, and they will go out of their way to make you feel welcome," she said.

I looked at her and smiled. "I hope so."

She frowned slightly at me and looked as though she was contemplating something. Finally she spoke.

"Bella, I've lived here all of my life, so I don't know what it's like to uproot yourself and move to another place where you don't know anyone, and I don't pry, simply because it's none of my business. But I get the impression that socialising isn't really your thing." I opened my mouth to defend myself, but she quickly continued. "Don't misunderstand me; I'm certainly not judging you." I relaxed a little. "But I want you to know that even though I don't know you that well, I like you. I can tell that Emmett likes you too, even without the pool," she said wryly. I couldn't help but laugh. "I'd like us to be friends if you'd like that too. Just … give us a chance?" She looked at me questioningly. I hesitated before I answered her.

"Rose, thank you." I thought about how I should word what I was about to say. "I appreciate what you are saying, and I really like you both too and would love to be friends. But, without going into too much detail, I just need to take my time with things. So, I'm just warning you that I may not be that much fun to begin with. Is that okay?"

She smiled at me and then looked out at the oval in front of us.

"That's absolutely fine with me; take all the time you need. But, be aware that there may be others that won't give you too much of a choice." I looked at her curiously and then turned my head to see what she was staring at. 

About twenty feet away, directly in front of us, a small woman was walking quickly towards us. She had black, shoulder length straight hair and was dressed in a pair of light, straight-legged, denim jeans and a fitted Blondie t-shirt. She was very tiny and very pretty and was looking straight at me with a smile as she approached. I heard Rose mutter to me, "Brace yourself." just as she arrived.

"Bella!" she sang as she stood in front of me with a large grin on her face.

I smiled hesitantly back. "Hi," I responded, looking over at Rose. She just chuckled at me.

"Bella, this is Alice," she said as if in explanation. I looked at the woman again, who was still grinning at me. She clasped her hands together.

"Thank God!" she exclaimed. "We _finally _have another woman our age in this town! When Rose told me that the owners of the surgery had hired a woman, I was so excited!" she laughed. I smiled at her.

"Hey Mousey!" Emmett bellowed to Alice as he walked up and joined us.

"A-hole!" she shouted back and gave him a hug. Rose looked at him, confused.

"Where did you go?" she asked. He looked down at her face and smiled.

"I was just looking for Edward and ah … Jasper, but I can't find them." He looked carefully over at Alice, whose face had fallen a little and continued. "Edward didn't mention whether they were coming here today, so it doesn't look as though they're turning up."

Rose raised her eyebrow at him. "Edward's probably trying to keep away from Jane," she said.

"Jane … as in Lebrandi?" I asked.

Alice looked at me, her face brightening.

"Oh, you've heard about Jane? I hope she's not here today, she's not very nice sometimes," she said to me quietly.

Rose snorted. "Not very nice? That's an understatement." Alice looked at her sharply."Oh don't worry, Alice, Bella has already been given the goss on Jane by Jess, of all people."

Alice sighed. "Really? Well, Bella, it's probably best if you make up your own mind about her. I'm sure she has a nice side to her," she said kindly. Rose snorted again.

"Any side that's not facing me is a nice side to Jane Lebrandi," Rose stated. Alice giggled.

"...And speak of the devil ladies, and she shall appear," Emmett said under his breath and nudged Rose.

"Oh crap. Sorry, Bella, but it looks as though you're going to meet Jane sooner than you thought," Rose whispered to me as I turned and watched a young woman approach.

The woman striding towards our group certainly did not look all that intimidating. Jane was tiny, even smaller than Alice, with shoulder-length, straight blonde hair, pulled back into a small bun. She was very slim with a childlike face and piercing blue eyes. She was immaculately dressed in a knee-length black skirt and plum-coloured silk shirt, combined with very high black heels.

"What the fuck is she wearing? She looks like a secretary going in to work," Rose mumbled quietly under her breath.

Her walk towards us was confident, her face determined, and she clearly looked as though she was on a mission. As she got closer to us, I discovered that though her facial features looked very young, they were also very hard. In fact, she looked cold and mean, and I didn't like the way she so obviously looked me up and down. Her facial expression made it clear that she found me lacking.

She stopped in front of us and gave a nod.

"Rose, Alice, good to see you ladies again." She looked at each of them.

"Jane," Rose said evenly.

"Hello Jane," Alice responded quietly.

Jane turned her head and looked at me. "And you are?" I held out my hand to shake hers.

"I'm Bella Swan, your new vet. Pleased to meet you." She ignored my hand and raised her eyebrows.

"You may be the _town's _new vet, but you're not necessarily _mine_ yet. Daddy's not too keen on a city vet dealing with our horses. They're worth a lot of money, you know," she said primly.

I withdrew my hand and started to open my mouth to speak when she interrupted and turned towards Alice.

"Oh Alice, what an interesting shirt you are wearing. What on earth do you call it?" Rose looked at Jane incredulously.

"It's a band shirt, Jane. It's Blondie. She was big in the 70s and 80s," Alice explained.

Jane raised her eyebrows. "Really? Well, I suppose it's all right for you to wear while you are working in the bar," she said and then turned to Rose. "So, Rose, will you be showing Ms. Swan her way around the pub while you're here? After all, you would be the most familiar with it, no?"

I watched the muscles in Rose's jaw clench and saw Emmett put his hand on her shoulder and lean over close to her ear. I barely heard him as he whispered, "Easy, Tiger," to her. He looked over at Jane and answered her question.

"Actually, yes, Jane. We'll be showing Bella around the pub today. Both Rose and I will be taking her to lunch there since we own it. Alice will be there too, considering she's the best bartender I've ever had." I saw Rose relax minutely as Jane straightened up and clasped her hands behind her back.

"How lovely for you, Bella," she said condescendingly. "I'm so glad you're being shown around the town. Well, I must go. I'm sure that Edward and Jasper have arrived by now, and no doubt, Edward will be looking for me." She looked at me again. "It was so nice to meet you, Bella, and please don't be offended if Daddy chooses Dr. Bellum from Sparling to look over our stock from now on. After all, we only want the best veterinary services for them. I'm sure you understand." She didn't even wait for a response from me but turned and walked away. I blinked a couple of times as I heard Rose huff to herself.

"Will someone please tell me _who that was?_" I asked, staring after the woman in question.

"_That _was Jane Lebrandi," Rose said, putting her arm around my shoulders. "Welcome to Peterstown."

**Edward**

I leaned back into the cab of the ute, resting my back against the spare tyre kept there, patted my thigh and whistled.

"Up you get, mate; there's plenty of room." I watched as Gus, my-four-year-old blue heeler jumped up and lay down next to me. He placed his face on my leg and looked up at me as I reached out and scratched behind his ears.

"Good boy." He wagged his tail and licked my hand. I smiled. I'd had Gus ever since he was nine weeks old. Jasper and I found him abandoned down by the creek. We took him home, and he immediately adopted me, riding with me everywhere in the ute and working alongside me each day. He was faithful to a fault and one of the best sheep dogs I had ever worked with.

I turned and looked at Jasper, who was leaning on the edge of the open cab door at the back of the ute. He was wearing his usual clothing, jeans and a singlet, with his Akubra on his head. He had his ankles and arms crossed and was staring off into the distance, looking broody, which was unusual for him and only meant one thing.

"She's here, mate; I saw her when I drove up," I said. He looked over at me.

"Am I that obvious?" he asked as he rubbed his hands over his face and straightened up.

I chuckled and continued to scratch Gus behind the ear. "Nope, I just know you too well, that's all."

"Hmmm, look, I don't think I'll hang around for too much longer, and I really don't reckon I'll be able to go to the pub today," he said quietly.

"Just come and have a few drinks. You can't hide from her forever," I said, trying to convince him.

He looked over at me and shook his head.

"I can't- not while she still won't talk to me. You go and say "hi" to Emmett and Rose for me, yeah?" he asked.

This time, I shook my head. "No, I'm your brother, and it's officially my job to get you to the pub." He smiled. "You're coming with me. Besides, it's _your_ job to protect me from Jane and her arse-grabbing hands."

He raised his eyebrows at me. "You've been going through a bit of a drought. I haven't seen you with anyone lately. What happened to Irina that foreign-exchange-nurse chick?"

I sighed and looked ahead. "Her exchange ended, so it was time for her to go home." He nodded. I didn't. I missed her; she was a nice girl and very pretty. It was a good two months.

"So ... you've got some free time and nothing on the horizon..." He looked at me mischievously. I glared at him.

"_Don't _even think about saying it. There's no way I would even consider Jane. My dick would shrivel up and die." He winced, and after a few seconds so did I, lost in the awful thought.

"Here comes trouble." I heard Jasper say, and I looked up. I could see a few of the boys that we hired on the farm as they walked towards us. They were all about nineteen, and one of them had obviously just said something funny because they were pissing themselves laughing.

"You okay, ladies?" Jasper asked them as they reached us. The youngest, Seth, stopped laughing first, nodded at us, and jumped up into the back of the ute.

"Are you guys going to the pub for lunch?" he asked us as he looked at Jasper for confirmation.

"It looks like it," he said and turned towards them. "Are you lot coming?" he asked.

"Yeah, may as well. I'm starving and hangin' out for a chicken parmie," Jared said as he sat down on the ground and leaned back on his hands.

"You see anything interesting out there?" I asked Jacob, who had crouched down next to Jared. He looked over and grinned at me.

"Sure did, didn't we, boys?" he directed towards the other two.

"Oh yeah, shit, I forgot about that!" Seth laughed as he leaned forward. "We just saw the new vet. Have you seen her yet?" he asked us. We shook our heads. I knew she was supposed to be around this weekend and was officially starting this week, but I knew nothing about her.

"Come on, you gotta see her. Man, she's _hot._" Seth grabbed my arm and tried to drag me from the ute. I pulled back, laughing.

"I'll see her eventually. I'm not going anywhere right now," I said.

Seth shook his head at me. "You'll be sorry," he said. "I heard she's single, but I bet she'll be snapped up real quick."

"Not by anyone else. I've got dibs," Jacob declared. Jasper and I burst out laughing.

"You've got _dibs?_" I forced out. "What are you, fucking _twelve_?"

Jacob looked offended. "Hey, I saw her first," he said with a huff.

"Oh well, shit. Since you saw her first and all … that's _different _then," I said, still laughing. "You make sure you tell her that when you get to speak to her. I'm sure she'll be real pleased."

"Hey, you reckon she'll believe me if I tell her I'm half-dog? Maybe she can take me on as a new patient," Jacob asked, grinning again.

"Well, you play with your balls enough, so yeah, I reckon," Jared shot at him. We started laughing as we watched Jacob lunge at Jared, and the two of them started wrestling in the dirt.

**Bella**

"So Bella, you officially start tomorrow, don't you?" Alice asked me as I sat across the table from her at Emmett and Rose's pub, waiting for our lunch to arrive.

The walk around the market had been relaxing. I had met a few of the local landowners, and they seemed keen to discuss their stock and any small problems they were having. I had suggested to a few of them that I come out and check up on a few things, and they were agreeable. After my meeting with Jane, it was a relief that not all of them felt the same way about my arrival.

"I do. I have some appointments at the surgery tomorrow morning and then in the afternoon. I think I'll check out Mr. Walker's alpaca," I said thoughtfully. Her eyes widened.

"I LOVE alpacas!" she cried. "They look like big teddy bears. I just want to give them a big hug."

Rose laughed. "Not when it spits on you, you won't. They look cute, but sometimes, they aren't that cuddly." She sat back in her chair and looked over at Emmett. "Did you see Edward today?" she asked him.

He nodded. "Yeah, he mentioned that he and a few of the boys will probably come here later for a drink." He glanced over at Alice, whose eyes had dropped to the tabletop. "I think Jasper has a few things to do at home though," he continued.

She looked up and gave him a closed lip smile. "It's okay, you really don't have to tiptoe around me all the time." She looked at me and sighed. "I'm sure you'll find this out soon enough, Bella, so it may as well be from me."

I frowned at her. "Really Alice, it's none of my business, and trust me, I have no time for gossip." I had learned this the hard way. She just smiled at me.

"It's okay, Bella, I don't mind." She took a deep breath. "Jasper and I used to be together, that's all. A while ago. Basically, it didn't end well and," she ran her hands through her hair, "that's it, I suppose." She looked apologetically at me.

I leaned across the table and touched her hand. "Alice, it's okay." I shook my head, not knowing what to say. I closed my eyes and swallowed. "It's hard, I know, when things don't work out." I shrugged. _Well, that was impressive, an excellent way with words there._ She grasped my hand and squeezed it.

"Yeah, I reckon you do know." She smiled at me. I was about to answer her when suddenly her eyes swung in the direction over my right shoulder. Suddenly, she changed. Her entire body became rigid, and her face fell. She looked over at Rose in panic and said quickly, "I'm just going to the ladies. Bella?"

I looked at her frantic face, and, although confused, instantly stood up, following her quickly across the dining room. I found myself in a deserted bathroom, standing across from her. Her face was pale, and she was shaking.

"Alice?" I asked softly. "Are you okay? What's going on?"

She laughed lightly and shook her head. "Jasper Cullen. Jasper Cullen is what's going on." She turned around and faced the mirror.

I walked slowly over and stood next to her. She lifted her head and looked at me in the mirror. She looked so sad.

"Do you have any idea what it's like to love somebody so much, that you can't bear to be away from him? All you want to do is touch him? To know what he is doing and be a part of his life? But at the same time, hate yourself for it?" She stopped and closed her eyes, and placed her hands forward on the edge of the sink. They were clenched around the white porcelain. "I thought he felt the same," she whispered. "I _really _did, you know?" She opened her eyes and looked at me, and I was surprised. Because I recognised what I saw in them.

"Maybe," I said quietly, looking back at her in the mirror. "At least you're here to face it. I ran away."

She laughed again and stepped back from the sink. "Yeah," she said sarcastically, "because hiding in the bathroom is _so_ much better." She turned to face me and took a deep breath. "Come on, I need a drink, and not even Jasper Cullen keeps me from my beer." I smiled and opened the door for her. She hesitated as she reached it, her hand on the door. She was facing away from the bathroom, her back to me.

"Bella?" I heard her ask in front of me.

"Yeah?"

"Do you think that there are some things that you can never forgive?" she asked me, still looking ahead.

I swallowed and tucked a piece of my hair behind my ear nervously. When I didn't answer, she turned her head to look at me. I finally nodded slightly, unable to speak.

"How about if you can forgive, could you ever forget?" she asked, raising her eyebrows slightly.

This time, I shook my head at her and tucked my imaginary hair behind my ear again. She smiled softly.

"That's a little harder, isn't it?" she said sadly.

I smiled a little and she took my hand. "Come on, let's go." Together, we walked back into the dining room.

The first thing I noticed when we returned was that our seats were no longer vacant at the table. I didn't get too much of an opportunity to see who was sitting there before I felt my hand being squeezed … painfully. I looked sharply at Alice, who suddenly steered me in a different direction.

"Alice? What's going on?" I asked her quietly. She continued to drag me across the dining room until we reached the front bar, where we stopped.

"Sorry Bella, but Jasper is sitting at our table right now, so there's no way I can go out there." She was frantic again, still grasping onto my hand.

"Okay, no worries," I assured her. "We'll sit here for a bit." I motioned with my hand over to a spare table, and together we sat down. I was sitting across from Alice and from my vantage point, I could slightly see the new visitors at our table. So, while Alice agitatedly tore cardboard coasters into small pieces and waited, I studied them.

The man sitting next to Rose was tall with a slim build. His hair was blonde and a little longer than was usual around here. He was very good looking with a calm face and demeanour. He was almost sprawled in the chair, one arm hooked over the corner of the back of it and both legs spread out in front of him. He was casually dressed in jeans, a singlet, and work boots; his hat sat on the table in front of him. His other hand was on his beer, resting on the table. He was smirking at something Emmett was saying to Rose.

"So," I asked casually, "what colour hair does Jasper have?"

Alice looked up at me swiftly, suspiciously. "Why?" she whispered to me. Then her eyes widened. "Oh shit! You can see him?" She slumped further down in her chair. "Blond," she mumbled. "He has blond hair. He's not coming this way, is he?"

I shook my head. "No," I reassured her. "He's still sitting down."

She sighed in relief as I continued my perusal. Okay, so that must be Jasper. I turned my attention to the other man, who was next to Emmett. He was sitting casually in his chair with both elbows on the table, his forearms crossed in front of him, and turned towards Emmett - making it difficult for me to see his face. I could see that he also wore jeans; however, his had a small rip on the right knee. He was also wearing work boots and a tight black t-shirt. Peeking out slightly at the bottom of his right sleeve was a tattoo, but I could not see enough of it to make out the design. His hat was in front of him on the table next to his beer. What got my attention however was his hair. There seemed to be a shitload of it. It was straight and thick, cut short at the back, longer and in chaos at the top. It was the colour of the dirt that was at the edge of every road here. Not quite brown, not red, but a combination of both.

"What are they doing now?" Alice asked me, breaking into my thoughts.

"Still sitting," I said. "I reckon they'll be there for a while."

She sighed. "Come on then, I'm starving, and our lunch should be here soon. Let's go over there."

She stood up, and I followed her. However, as we walked over, I watched the two of them get up and leave, moving across the room to another table that was filled with young guys, and sit down with them. I heard Alice breathe a sigh of relief and noticed her walk a little faster towards our seats. As we sat down, Emmett looked over at us.

"Jeez Mousey? Take long enough? Did you have to drop a couple of kids off at the pool?" he asked deviously.

"No A-hole. I didn't," Alice said indignantly. "I was just showing Bella the front bar."

Emmett opened his mouth to say something else when our food arrived. I was starving and grabbed my knife and fork to dig in.

"So Townie," Emmett asked with a sly look in his eye. "Did you have a better time today than you thought you would?"

I looked at him then at Rose and Alice.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I reckon I did."

He smiled smugly and then leaned down to cut into his food.

**Edward**

"Have you ordered?" I asked Jasper as we left Emmett and Rose and sat down at our table with the boys.

"Yeah, I did it when I got my beer. I ordered for you, too," he answered as he leaned back in his chair and scanned the room. I sighed internally, frustrated with him.

"She'll be here, somewhere. Why don't you just go and talk to her?" I asked him quietly. He glared at me.

"She doesn't want to fucking talk to me. You know I've tried," he said angrily and then took a deep breath, calming down. "Do you blame her?" he asked me resignedly.

"No." I didn't.

"Well then, let it go," he said, downing half of his beer.

This time, I shook my head. I knew better than to continue with this conversation. The last time I pushed the issue, my jaw hurt for days. I knew my brother had a long fuse, but when he reached his limit, he let you know. The normally calm Jasper Cullen became all fired up when it came to Alice Brandon.

"I'm sorry, okay?" I said, trying to placate him. He nodded and leaned closer to me across the table, intent on continuing the conversation, for once. In my periphery, I noticed that Jared looked up in interest and nudged Jacob to quiet down. I frowned at Jasper and shook my head, signalling sideways towards the guys. He nodded slightly and sat back.

"You managed to stay clear of Jane today," he said as he leaned both arms on the table in front of him. I laughed.

"Yeah, thank fuck for that. I saw her talking with Dad, but she didn't see me." I leaned back in my chair, crossed my legs at the ankles and folded my arms. He smiled slyly.

"That's 'cause Dad told her you weren't here, so she left early." I sat forward.

"You're kidding?" I asked incredulously. "I'll have to thank him for that." Jasper laughed.

Suddenly, I was tilted slightly in my chair as Jacob elbowed me sharply in the ribs. I spun around to ask him what the hell he was doing when he whispered excitedly.

"Have a look! There she is-the vet-sitting with Alice!"

I turned instinctively to look at Jasper, who had also turned his head in the direction that Jacob was looking. I turned to look as well.

The first thing I saw was Alice,. She was talking animatedly to Rose, who was listening intently. I then noticed Emmett, sitting next to a woman who had long, chocolate brown hair. She was facing him, her hair pulled around and draped over one shoulder, creating a curtain across the side of her face. I let my eyes wander down over her shoulder blades and the top of her back. She was wearing a pink strapless dress. I looked briefly down at her chest, then noticed the way the dress draped over and across her stomach, her lower back, her hips and legs, and down to her toes, making it impossible for me to determine any more of her shape. She had her legs crossed under the table, with one foot peeking out from the bottom of her dress. I took in the thin strap of her shoe and her pink-painted toenails.

Her foot started to bounce up and down in a slow rhythm, and I felt my eyes rocking back and forth with it. I eventually let my eyes slowly wander back up her form, and when I reached the top again, I discovered her hair lazily sliding down across her shoulder and onto her back, where it rested. It was silky and thick, and the movement had unveiled her face. She was now facing me slightly more front on, smiling at whatever it was Emmett was telling her. Her ears were tiny. My eyes moved down to her neck and throat, where a thin gold necklace hung. The necklace was long, and I pursued its path down her throat, between her collarbones, as it dipped into the top of her dress and disappeared from sight. I swallowed. I lifted my eyes and slid them back up over her smooth collarbones, past her throat and up to her face.

She had dark brown eyes, a tiny, softly tilted nose, and pink lips. She smiled at Emmett again, and my lips curved minutely in response. She reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear. The fingers on my right hand twitched in response. She adjusted a little in her seat, which resulted in the top of her dress tugging down slightly, exposing a little more of the necklace. I had to adjust a little in my seat also.

"Are you all right there?" I quickly turned to see Jasper smirking at me, one eyebrow raised.

I opened my mouth to answer, when Jacob leaned over to me.

"Remember..." he said firmly. "I got dibs."

It was my turn to raise my eyebrows. Yeah, we were going to be having a chat about that.

**Thanks guys for reading, here are a couple of clarifications:**

**Utes – utility vehicles. Usually, a two door vehicle with a cab on the back.**

**Akubra - A hat for farm workers here. We have a family farm and some of the men on the farm wear them. I've seen them on a number of the men as well at town gatherings. **

**Blue Heeler – A breed of dog, also used as a cattle dog, or sheep dog.**

**Chicken Parmie – Otherwise known as Chicken Parmigiana.**

**Cardboard coasters – Drink coasters on the tables of most pubs here in Australia, and probably everywhere?**

**Drop a couple of kids off at the pool – Um ... sorry. This is a term that a guy I used to know said all the time as a way of informing me that he was going to do a number two...i.e. Just going to drop a couple of kids off at the pool ... My apologies again.**

**So, once again, please let me know what you think. x**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns everything Twilight. I own the rest.**

**Thank you again to the people who have read and reviewed. I really, really appreciate it. I hope that you all are enjoying the story. **

**This is a short chapter, sorry. It's just the way it has worked out :)**

**Thanks also to the lovely betas from PTB – ****thalia_csiny and Pain Jane.**

**Chapter 3**

**Bella**

It was Wednesday morning, and I was so bloody tired. It was so _quiet _here at night, which made it difficult to sleep. I had started to leave the television on in my bedroom for a bit of background noise during the night. It helped, but I had now discovered there was a bird who liked to sing right outside my window every morning at 5:30 am. I wanted to squirt him with the hose.

I yawned and leaned on the counter in the waiting room of the surgery. I could see Rose watching me, amused, out of the corner of my eye.

"Didn't sleep well again?" she asked chirpily, sitting in her chair and typing quickly on the computer. I also wanted to put the hose on her.

"No. The bloody bird woke me up again, and this place … it's too … _quiet,_" I whined.

She laughed. "What you need is some more noise in that house. You know, maybe another voice." She shrugged her shoulders innocently. "I know where I could find one who _might-be-interested,_" she sang the last part, and leaned back in her chair.

I turned and stared at her. "No," I said firmly. "No offence Rose, but no, thank you." I sighed and dropped down in to the chair next to her. "I know that you and Emmett are trying to be kind, but I'm _really, truly. _Not. Interested."

She mumbled to herself, "Fine, fine. But if you change your mind, I heard last night from Emmett that -" I didn't let her finish.

"I won't. Please, Rose?" I asked quietly.

She acquiesced. "Okay."

I smiled at her and she returned it, turned back to her computer and started to type again. I was just about to stand when the front door opened. I looked up to see a woman entering with a dog, which was more like a horse. It was an Irish Wolfhound, lean with wiry grey fur. Its head easily reached the woman's waist, and it stood next to her, passively looking around.

"Hi, how can I help you?" I asked her, standing up.

She smiled warmly at me. "Hello, you must be Dr. Swan? My name is Esme Cullen, and this is Tinker bell-TB for short." She giggled. "We have an appointment at 10 o'clock?"

I looked at Rose's screen. "Oh, of course. Come on through."

I walked around the counter to where she was standing and led her through to the consulting room. I noticed that she was small and slender, with light brown shoulder-length hair, and was classically beautiful. She was dressed casually in jeans, a short-sleeved shirt and boots.

When we reached the room and stood opposite each other at the table, she continued to smile warmly at me. I looked down at TB.

"Well, I don't think I'll need _you _to stand on the table, will I?"

Esme laughed and placed her hand on his head fondly. "No, you're so tiny, I think he'll be _above _your head if you do that!"

I knelt down in front of him and scratched behind his ears. He gratefully leaned into my hand and licked it, then looked at me trustingly. I smiled.

"He's beautiful, Mrs. Cullen-"

"Call me Esme, please," she interrupted.

"Okay, Esme. But, tell me … where did he get the name Tinker bell from?" I looked at her questioningly, and she burst out laughing.

"Don't blame me for that one! I so desperately wanted to call him Sam. But my sons, Jasper and Edward, continued to call him Tinker bell as a joke. Unfortunately, he answered to it, and it has stuck. Now, we shorten it to TB, which isn't really much better." She smiled down at him.

I continued to pat TB, wanting to reassure him that I was a friend. He wagged his tail, and finally sat, offering me his paw. I loved this gesture from dogs. In my opinion, it was a sign of friendliness, and with an animal the size of TB, I needed it.

"He likes you."

I looked up to see Esme watching me with him. She was smiling. "He doesn't usually warm up to people so quickly."

I stood up. "Oh, I have a thing with dogs, I think. I always have. They are easily my favourite animal, and the main reason why I became a vet," I explained.

"Well, it's wonderful to see another female vet here. The previous vet, Lou, was a lovely girl. It was a shame she and her husband left. My husband, Carlisle, was always very impressed with the work she did with our stock."

"You have a farm?" I asked her.

She nodded. "We did. Carlisle retired a couple of years ago, and our two boys took over the running of it. Carlisle and I bought a house here in town."

Ah... I realised. _Cullen_, as in Alice's _Jasper _Cullen, whom I saw at the pub on Sunday. Maybe the other guy I saw with him, was the other Cullen son? Esme continued speaking as I was contemplating. "I heard that you bought Fran's lovely place. We only live four houses down from you."

My eyes widened, surprised. "Wow, so far I have only met a small number of people here and two of them live in the same street as me. Being a city girl, that's difficult to get my head around."

She laughed, "It would be. Bella, it would be lovely if you could come over for dinner one night. I'm sure you and Carlisle would have a lot to talk about."

I smiled slightly. "Well, thank you, Esme. That's very kind of you, we should definitely organise that. But for now, what's going on with this pup of yours? I'm assuming we only need to remove his stitches today?" I asked, as I looked at his lopsided left ear. I knew from his notes that he had suffered from an aural haematoma, or a burst blood vessel, in his ear. _Poor little thing, _I thought. They didn't look like a lot, but could be extremely painful for dogs. Lou had recently performed the surgery to clean out the blood and clots, and his ear now had a neat row of stitches in it. As if he knew I was talking about him, TB's tail thumped gently on the floor.

"Yes, he's so much better, thankfully. Lou said to bring him around now to have his stitches removed."

I nodded. "Yes, definitely."

I turned and washed my hands and pulled on some gloves. I then picked up the small scissors and crouched down next to TB. "Okay, big fella. I promise this won't hurt at all." I reached up to snip and pull, and removed the few stitches. The entire time, I heard his tail continue its thumping on the floor and felt his paw scratch against my leg in his attempts to get me to shake it again. I finally finished.

"You're such a good boy, aren't you?" I praised him. I stood and removed the gloves and washed my hands. Then I removed a treat from the container. TB noticed this and started to skid about on the floor in his excitement.

"Sit, TB!" Esme ordered. He sat immediately while I gave him the biscuit.

"He's well trained," I said.

She smiled fondly at him. "At his size, he has to be," she laughed.

"Well, Esme, he's as good as new. If you are concerned about anything, give me a call. Okay?"

She nodded at me and smiled. "Lovely, thank you Bella. I will be in touch about dinner."

I watched as TB dragged his tiny owner out the door, into the waiting area to find Rose.

**Edward**

I rode the bike up to the back of the shearing shed and stopped, turned it off, and looked around. I couldn't see any sign of him. I swore under my breath. Jasper told me he'd be around here just before lunch, so that we could go through the paperwork for the just-finished harvest. I climbed off the bike and kicked at the stand. I knew where he'd be;, it was where he'd been for the past two bloody weeks. Every day, fussing and worrying. I whistled for Gus, who was fossicking in the bush at the back of the shed, and turned right, in the directed of a large pen. As I got closer to it, I could see him. He was in his usual spot, forearms leaning on the top of the gate, watching the pig inside sleep.

"Back again?" I asked as I reached him.

He turned his head to look at me. "Yeah, I'm still deciding about whether to mate her or not."

I sighed. This had been an on-going drama for a while now, and with any other sow, it wouldn't be. The problem was that this pig wasn't just another pig on this farm. She was Jasper's pet. He bought her from a mate of Dad's, when his sow had her last litter, and he was extremely fond of her. He called her Tanya, God knows why, and Tanya lived a very comfortable life in her pen. It wasn't until Jacob pointed out to Jasper that she must be missing out on something by never being mated, that Jasper started to worry about it.

"Why don't you talk to Dad about it if you're so worried? It's no big deal," I suggested.

He shook his head with a smile on his face. "No way, you know I'd never hear the end of it."

I smiled too. I knew Dad well enough to know that if one of his sons came to him stressing about his pet pig getting some, then that story would provide him and his mates months of enjoyment down at the pub.

"Yeah, fair enough."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then smirked and looked at me out the corner of his eye.

"You know … I could get Bella Swan to come 'round. I'm sure you'd be pretty happy for me to organise that." His smirk grew into a smile.

I turned to him, crossing my arms. "What do you mean by that?" I asked him, faking curiosity. In truth, I was seriously considering suggesting it myself.

He laughed, "Oh come on, you don't think I noticed?" he asked incredulously.

"Noticed what?"

Now it was his turn to cross his arms, and he raised both eyebrows at me.

"_Noticed what_?" he mimicked me. "I haven't seen you look like that since Colleen Armstrong's bather top came undone at Grade 7 camp!" He looked off into the distance dreamily, tongue lolling out. I laughed and reached out to punch him. He jumped back to avoid it, laughing as well.

"I wasn't that bad!" I defended.

He gave me his 'bullshit' look straight on and raised his eyebrows again. I groaned.

"Alright, maybe I did stare a bit. But I was taken by surprise, you know? She's … I don't know … " I ran my hand through my hair, frustrated. I couldn't explain it, because I didn't know. All I knew was that since Sunday at the pub, I had been feeling … _something._ And it was pissing me off.

I thought about this woman all the time, for Christ's sake, and what I had seen of her wasn't enough. There was still the shape of her hips and her legs. I had yet to see her face completely front on, or hear the sound of her voice. Not to mention I wanted to know how far down that bloody necklace went. My imagination just wasn't doing her justice.

Jasper laughed. "You've got that face on you again."

I looked at him and ran my hand through my hair again, embarrassed.

"Fuck off," I told him. The bastard snickered and then became serious again as he looked back into the pen.

"So … you reckon I should call her out here, seriously?" he asked.

I nodded. "If it's worrying you that much, then yeah," I said, reassuring him. I continued under my breath, "But make sure when you do, that you send bloody Jacob to the other end of the property."

"Got a bit of competition there, little brother?" He elbowed me slightly in the ribs.

"Nah," I said nonchalantly. "Not if I run him over with the tractor."

Jasper laughed, "I don't think you have anything to worry about, unless she's into younger men. He's only nineteen, after all. Emmett told me she's about twenty eight."

I was surprised because she looked much younger than that. Although thinking about it, she _was _a fully qualified vet.

Jasper continued, "Emmett said that she's a really nice person, with a great sense of humour. Apparently, she absolutely _hates _Jane -"

"I like her more already," I interrupted dryly.

He continued again, "He did say something interesting though."

I turned and frowned at him. "Oh yeah, what's that?" I asked.

He turned and leaned his back against the gate, crossing his feet at the ankles. He looked more serious now.

"I don't know the story behind it, he wouldn't say. I don't think he knows either. But apparently, she's dead set against getting involved with anyone."

I groaned, "Shit, really?" I leaned against the gate also, and looked up at the sky. "Is he sure?"

Jasper nodded. "Yeah. He reckons that both he and Rose have tried to get her interested in at least _looking_, but she won't budge. But … " he stopped and looked down at the ground.

"But, what?'' I prodded him.

He swallowed. "Well … Alice mentioned something to Emmett about how Bella seems to understand what it's like to be … hurt by someone," he continued to look at the ground and crossed his arms again. There was silence as we both thought about that statement.

"Oh," I said finally.

He nodded. "Yeah. So, if some arsehole did to her what I did to Alice, then it's no wonder she's not interested in anyone." He frowned to himself, and I stood up straight and faced him.

"Look, at the risk of you getting pissed off and punching me again, I'm gonna say this. Stop with this bullshit and talk to the girl." He looked up at me, and I continued, "That's right, talk to her. Yeah, you fucked up and made a really stupid mistake – so fix it." He shook his head and I raised my hands. "Okay, conversation's over and I won't mention it again. Now ring Bella and get her over here to look at Tanya. But make sure you send Jacob away for the day. I don't want him anywhere near her," I said firmly.

He chuckled, "A little bit possessive about the vet there, Edward, wouldn't you say?" he asked smugly.

I looked at him squarely. "Yeah, I am," I said.

He lost his smugness and it was replaced with surprise.

"Okay, I'll give Rose a call now." With that, he pushed off from the gate and we walked towards the house.

I followed him, quietly excited. With any luck, I was actually going to get to talk to this woman.

Oo-oO

**See you next time :) **


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. The rest is all mine. **

**When reading this chapter, please remember that I'm not a vet in real life :)**

**Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, added to favourites, etc.**

**...and thanks again to the betas for this chapter at PTB x**

**Chapter 4**

**Bella**

I sat on my bed and pulled on my work boots, attempting to brush my teeth at the same time. Walking over to the bathroom to spit and rinse, I stopped in my tracks midway to the sink and turned my head toward the door. _Is that the phone?_ I sprinted out of the bathroom towards my mobile phone that was sitting on the side table near the front door. I looked at the display - _Rose._

"Hey Rose," I answered, out of breath.

"Hi Bella, sorry to bother you at home, but I got a call after you left yesterday and I thought you may want to deal with it before surgery today?"

I smiled. "Thanks yeah, what's the problem?"

"Jasper Cullen called to see if you would come out and see his pig. Something about wanting some help with getting her mated?"

I was confused. As far as I knew, the Cullen's had a number of pigs on their farm. Why would this one be an issue?

"Is this the first time they've dealt with any breeding?"

She laughed. "No… it's just that this particular pig is Jasper's pet and he worries about her."

"Really? Okay, I'll head out there now. I'll see you in about an hour or so."

"No worries Bella, thanks."

With that, she hung up the phone. I grabbed my bags and headed out the door. Immediately, the bright sun of the morning and the heat of the day hit me like a brick wall. It was forecast to hit 42 degrees in the afternoon and I guessed that it was already in the high 30's. When I woke this morning I knew, that there was no way that I could wear my jeans today, so I put on my khaki work shorts. They were my favourites and sat about five inches above my knee, yet still remained professional enough to wear at work.

Fifteen minutes later, out of town, I turned my four-wheeled drive right onto the dirt road that heralded the beginning of the Cullen driveway. I had heard a fair bit about this particular property from both Rose and Emmett. It boasted mainly sheep and crops, with small amounts of both pigs and horses. The two brothers, Jasper and Edward, had taken over from their father when he retired, and now they lived together at the farmhouse. What they failed to tell me though - and this I discovered as I continued up the driveway, was that the Cullens were obviously fairly prosperous farmers.

The property was a sprawling expanse of green and brown fields, neatly fenced, with healthy looking animals grazing amongst them. Coming to a stop at the top of the driveway, I was faced with a large stone farmhouse. It was clearly over one hundred years old, and built with light brown stone. It had a dark brown steel roof, a timber front door and a bull nose verandah that ran around the perimeter of the home. The house itself was wide; I counted six windows across the face of it and three chimneys at the top. The house garden was immaculate, with neat green grass, cut bushes and a large pond teeming with fish.

I stepped out of the car, and discovered it was even hotter outside. The open fields made the dryness and dustiness of the air even worse. I heard the sound of a chainsaw nearby. I opened the boot of the car, removed my workbag, and slammed the back shut. Walking back around I raised my head and spotted a guy heading quickly towards me, with a large smile on his face.

"Dr. Swan?" he asked eagerly, holding out his hand. I shook it, smiling.

"Hi, please call me Bella."

His smile widened, lighting up his face. He was young, boyish, tanned and strong. He had very dark hair, cropped short and he was wearing the uniform of the farm worker; jeans, work boots and a dark coloured t-shirt, fitted well. He was broad and very fit, average in height. He had also obviously been working very hard in the heat. I could see beads of sweat at the side of his face and in between his collarbones above his t-shirt.

"I'm Jacob," he said, still smiling widely. "I work here for the Cullens. Come on, I'll take you to Jasper." He indicated for me to walk in the direction to the right of the house and I complied. We walked together silently for a few moments, until he spoke.

"So Bella, are you liking it here so far?"

"I love it." I smiled and answered truthfully.

He grinned. "Yeah, I understand why. I worked here at the Cullens as a shearer last season, but loved it so much. So when Jasper and Edward offered me a permanent position, I didn't have to think twice about it." We reached what looked to be like a large shed and continued to walk across the front of it.

"Jasper's just around here with Tanya," he informed me as we walked.

"Okay, thanks."

I looked ahead and spied the same blonde guy from the pub at the weekend, leaning up against the front of a pig-pen. He must have heard our approach, because he turned in our direction, then pushed himself away from the gate, and strolled towards us, smiling.

"Hi, Dr. Swan," he said to me as we reached each other. "It's good to finally meet you."

His smile was friendly and his eyes were warm as he held out his hand for me to shake. I took it.

"Please… call me Bella, and it's good to meet you too," I replied, smiling back at him.

Jasper released my hand and looked over at Jacob, raising an eyebrow at him. Grinning, Jacob turned to me. "I'll see you later Bella, maybe you'll be at the pub at the weekend?" he asked hopefully, eagerly. I swallowed. _Oh crap._

"Um… I'm not sure. Maybe?" I responded, unsure, hoping he would get the hint. He didn't.

"Doesn't matter, I'll be there, so I'll keep an eye out for you," he answered happily, then gave a small wave. With that, he turned and walked away. I turned around to face Jasper, who was shaking his head slightly.

"Is everything okay?" I asked him concerned.

He laughed and turned around to walk back to the pen, with me following.

"Nope, I'm now guaranteed to have a _very _unhappy brother at tea tonight."

I frowned, confused. "Oh."

He laughed again. "Sorry Bella, it's just that Jacob was supposed to be somewhere else this morning, but I think the boy can smell out an opportunity from a mile away and I just know that Edward is going to lose his shit when he finds out. Sorry." He turned immediately, sheepish, realising the language he used.

I chuckled. "Oh, don't worry about saying shit like that in front of me."

He laughed loudly in response. "I'll remember that." He continued his laugh for a moment, then became serious as he looked into the pen.

"So…, " I began. "You wanted me to come and look at your pig. I'm guessing this is the one?"

He nodded. "Yep, this is Tanya."

I looked at him, surprised. "Okay… so, what's the problem with Tanya?"

He frowned as he looked at her. "Well… I'm a bit embarrassed actually. It's just that, I want to have her mated, but I'm not sure if she's ready yet to have the boar in with her. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, but she's sort of a pet to me." He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck, obviously uncomfortable. I felt sorry for him.

"No worries, that's understandable. It's easy enough for me to check, I'll just go in and have a look."

He looked at me gratefully as I put my bag down and opened up the latch on the gate. He stepped back to let me through, and I walked slowly into the pen. The heat inside was stifling and I instantly felt clammy, sweat starting to form on my body. I spotted Tanya, who was a very large, very contented pig. Sprawled out on her side, she grunted lazily as I examined her, not appearing to be concerned in the slightest with my prodding. I smiled, pigs were normally pretty friendly, but you did get the odd one that wasn't too keen on a vet poking them, especially if they had a litter. Tanya, on the other hand, seemed to be used to a lot of human attention, and continued to grunt as I finished my check on her, cleaned my hands and then tickled her behind her ear. Behind me, I heard Jasper laugh.

"She'll lay there all day if you do that to her."

I laughed in return, watching Tanya wriggle her head in response to my hand.

"She'll lay there all day anyway." I heard a deep voice say behind me.

I instantly straightened up from my crouched position, and turned in the direction of the unfamiliar voice. Standing next to Jasper was the other guy I recognised from the pub. I walked towards the gate, taking notice again of the dark red-brown hair, still in a state of disarray. He was dressed in jeans and boots, although today, he was also in a dark blue singlet, like his brother. I was determined to remain professional and not check this guy out, but it was difficult for me not to notice the tanned broad shoulders that were covered in a sheen of sweat. His singlet clung to him, darkened in patches across his firm chest and stomach. He was leanly muscled, with obvious strength in his biceps and forearms. I was able to make out more of his tattoo on his right upper arm today. It looked to be the body of a dragon. It wrapped around his bicep, disappearing behind the thick strap of his top, and reappearing slightly across the top of his chest, disappearing again behind the shirt. I was intrigued.

"So, Bella… "

My eyes snapped up to Jasper and I was horrified that I had obviously been caught gawking. I straightened up, even more determined to remain professional, and gave him a tight smile as he continued. "This is my brother Edward."

I looked over at Edward, who was looking intently back at me. I was further dismayed to discover his strong face, with slight stubble across the lower half of it, his green eyes narrowed sexily, with long lashes framing them. _Jesus. _I took a deep breath and spoke firmly.

"Hi Edward, I'm Dr. Swan."

His look faltered a little, and his eyebrows raised slightly in surprise.

"Hi… Dr. Swan. It's good to meet you," he responded, looking confusedly at his brother. I also turned to Jasper, then glanced over at Tanya.

"Well Jasper, you'll be pleased to know she's doing really well," I spoke in a clipped, professional tone. "She's actually nearly ready for mating. At the moment, her vulva is quite swollen and red, and she has only a small amount of mucous, so she's still not quite ready for you to introduce a boar to her." I looked back at him to find them both staring at me, astonished. I ignored them, continuing, "Give her about 12 – 24 hours, her vulva will have reduced and the mucous consistency will have changed. You'll have a better chance then to introduce the boar. Then let them have another go together about 24 hours later. Make sure you supervise them, and do it later on in the day when the air is a little cooler."

I opened the gate and they both moved speedily out of my way. I bent and picked up my bag, and turned back to them. "Oh, and remember to let her seek him out – that's the most important thing."

I put my hand out to Jasper and he shook it, still looking at me strangely. "It was lovely to finally meet you Jasper," I hesitated "… and you Edward."

He nodded slowly, a frown on his face.

"Give me a call if you are concerned at all." With that, I turned and walked back towards the car.

**Edward**

I turned and looked at Jasper, astonished.

"What the fuck was that?" I asked him, half shouting.

He shook his head slowly. "I have no fucking idea," he answered, half to himself. "I mean, one minute, she's joking and friendly, scratching Tanya behind the ears... and the next... she's all uptight, talking mucous... and _vulvas_." He screwed his nose up in distaste, then turned sharply to look at me. "It was _you_," he accused me. "She was fine until you came along."

"Well, I didn't do anything!" I exclaimed defensively, looking around. Suddenly, his face changed, a small smile appearing, then turning into a grin.

"She was checking you out," he stated, still grinning. My head shot back to him.

"She was? Really?" I asked excitedly.

He nodded quickly. "Yep, for sure. That's when she changed, she was checking you out and then she was different! She wasn't like that with Jacob."

I narrowed my eyes, my anger boiling up. "What the fuck?" I asked, my voice raised again. "When was _he_ here? I sent him to get quotes for the header to be fixed!"

Jasper looked at me and shook his head exasperated. "Who cares?" he asked me. "She didn't give two shits about him and when you turn up, she gets all embarrassed and goes all uptight on you!" He laughed loudly. "_You_ have to call her Dr. Swan," he pointed out.

I huffed to myself, pissed off. "Shut the fuck up," I said flatly.

He laughed louder. "So … _Dr. Swan _has the hots for _my _little brother," he said proudly.

I couldn't blame him, I was pretty proud of myself as well. I had practically ran over here when I returned to the house, and saw the unfamiliar car out front. The first thing I saw was Jasper leaning on the gate of the pen, watching with a smile on his face. I knew immediately that she was in there. I had looked down at myself straight away, wanting to look presentable, and noticed that because of the stinking hot day, that idea was pretty well shot to shit. I didn't care much though, the excitement was building in my belly as I approached. When I got to the pen, before I made my smart arsed comment, Jasper looked over at me and smirked.

"Why Edward, I'm touched. I didn't think you cared so much," he snickered under his breath.

I glared at him. Then I looked in. She was crouching down in front of Tanya, smiling. Her hair was up in a thick ponytail, the strands hanging down her back. She was wearing a short-sleeved polo top and, I noticed with glee, shorts. _Oh thank you, Christ, for the fucking hot weather. _ The bending down made her shorts ride up, revealing her toned, slim legs. After I made my comment, she stood, allowing me to completely check her out. She was tiny and slim, with amazing legs that lead up to a surprisingly curvy body. Her hips flared out slightly, her body dipped in again with her waist, flaring out again with her breasts. My eyes swept across them, taking note of the way her top stretched and pulled a little. The dirty part of my brain subconsciously and enthusiastically noting that she wasn't wearing a padded bra, so that I was really seeing _her._ The top button of her polo was undone, allowing me to see the light cover of sweat on her upper chest and throat as a result of the days heat. I could also see one side of the godforsaken necklace that I had been obsessing about for almost a week now. She slowly walked over, and I was unable to concentrate on anything she was doing, my focus now on her legs. There was no doubt in my mind that they were now going to take over from her necklace, as my main obsession from here on out. I suddenly wanted to tell my brother to fuck off somewhere else, far away. I narrowed my eyes. Then, it all went to shit.

I sighed, and came back from my daydream, to find Jasper still grinning at me like an idiot.

"Yeah, so she _might _have checked me out. So what? You said yourself that she's not interested in seeing someone, so... I have no chance." He just shrugged his shoulders. I sighed again and ran my hand through my hair, frustrated. I so badly wanted this to happen. I was determined not to give up. All I had to do now, was get her to want it too.

**Bella**

I quickly and thankfully, reached the car, throwing my bag in the back and unlocking the door. As I was about to get in, another car came up the Cullen's driveway, pulling in next to me. It was brand new and spotless. A black BMW. The driver's door opened, and a woman got out gracefully, dressed in a black pair of pants, stilettos and a silk shirt. I closed my eyes. _Shit. It's Jane. _She turned to look at me, and raised her eyebrows.

"Why hello, Dr. Swan. Making house calls already?" she asked snidely.

I took a breath. "Hello Jane. How are you?" _Be nice. Be nice. _

She smiled condescendingly. "Oh I'm excellent, thank you. Although, we had a little problem with one of our fillys last night. But don't worry," she rushed to say. "Dr Bellum came out and did a _wonderful _job. He's so competent," she sighed. "It's so comforting to have a vet we can rely on, you know?"

_Well shit. _I thought to myself. _Rose _was_ right. This girl is a prize bitch._ Her nasal voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Well, as lovely as it is to see you again, I'm actually here to see Edward." She sighed again. "He loves it when I pop around every day. I think he looks forward to it. We've been so close for so long… if you know what I mean," she said conspiratorially and giggled. "So many other girls have come through here, thinking that he was a catch," she recalled lightly. Then she faced me, and her eyes narrowed. "It was pathetic really."

My heart sank, and I was furious at myself for being disappointed. _So? Edward and Jane are together? Who cares? You weren't interested in him anyway. _I dismissed my brain, and forced a smile.

"Well Jane," I said briskly, opening the car door and turning towards her. "If you don't mind, I'm a little busy right now and I must get onto my next patient."

She smiled, sugary sweet. "_Of course, _Bella. I must be going inside also, it is so awfully hot out here today. Be sure to pass on a hello to Rose for me, won't you? Now, if you don't mind, I must be finding Edward."

I didn't wait to see what she did and I turned, got into the car, started it and drove away. The disappointment I had felt moments earlier, increasing more, the further I drove.

**Oo—oO**

**:)**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.**

**Thanks guys again, for all of your comments, I really appreciate you taking the time. This outtake is a little back story to explain the situation with Alice and Jasper...**

**Oo—oO**

**Outtake 1 **

**Six months earlier**

**Alice**

I smiled to myself as I wiped down the bar. _Nothing _could upset me tonight, not even Garrett's bloody bucks party turning up a half an hour before we close. It was only thirty-five minutes until Jasper would arrive to pick me up from work, and I couldn't wait. I looked down at myself for the tenth time this hour, checking that everything was still in place. I planned on fixing my hair and makeup about ten minutes before he was due, and I was practically counting down the minutes. A thrill of excitement shot down my spine just thinking about it...I was _finally _going to have sex with Jasper Cullen. The guy I had been in love with for as long as I could remember, ever since I saw him for the first time on the playground in kindergarten. I remember him being quiet, distant almost, and I desperately wanted to be his friend. In primary school, I watched him play footy with his mates and his brother Edward, all the while knowing that he barely knew I even existed.

It got worse in high school. I suddenly became an eruption of hormones, and it seemed as though they constantly swarmed around my unfortunate body. My perving on him knew no bounds - from sly glances in the classroom to all out staring. Of him shirtless on the footy oval, covered in mud and sweat, with his god-awful football shorts on, knee high socks and footy boots. Yet all I wanted to do was throw myself on him and grind us both into oblivion. I had cried for days when I finally punched the information out of Rose that he had asked Maria to the dance. She had managed to keep it from me for two weeks, knowing how much it would hurt me. What made that so much worse was that I liked Maria. It would be impossible, seeing them together every day at school, holding hands, whispering, kissing and sitting next to each other at assembly. I wished fervently, jealously, every night that she would somehow, magically, lose all feeling in her vagina. Oh, how Rose pissed herself laughing when I confided _that _piece of information to her.

The hardest blow was when it went around the school that Jasper and Maria had _done it. _Fucking hell, that day was hard. I begged Mum and Dad to let me go overseas on a foreign exchange programme for a year, but they refused. Rose tried to help; Emmett tried to help. Both of them tried to talk me into going out with other people, but I couldn't. There was no one else for me, even at that age. I knew that there was no way in hell Jasper Cullen would ever know, or could ever know how I felt.

Jasper and Maria continued their relationship the rest of the way through high school, past their teens, and into their twenties. While, I attempted failed relationship after failed relationship, either choosing men who reminded me of Jasper in some way, which in the end, never quite measured up. Or by picking men who were the polar opposite of him, after making determined decisions to move on. Rose was frustrated with my innate stubbornness, my Mum and Dad were beside themselves with concern, and at my 27th birthday last year, my nanna asked me if I was a lesbian. But no one, none of them, truly understood how I felt about him and how long I had been wanting him.

Suddenly, word spread last year, just after my birthday, that Jasper and Maria had split. I held an emergency conference with Rose, strategizing my way forward. This was my moment, my chance, before someone else caught his eye. I had been walking around for weeks in a constant state of readiness, just in case I happened to run into him. Whenever I talked to Edward, I internally begged him to give me some indication of whether Jasper was seeing anyone else already, but he never gave anything away, and I never heard anything from others.

It was three months ago when I finally saw him. As luck would have it, it was the first day of my period, and I was sporting a pimple the size of my thumb on my forehead. It was an ugly undies, tracksuit and t-shirt day, and I had run out of tampons. I figured if I shot out to the shops for five minutes, there was no chance I would see him. How wrong I was.

So, there I was in trackies and Ugg boots, juggling my car keys, purse, required tampons and sunglasses, trying to pay Jess for my purchase at the register. Something had to give and the little blue box was it.

"Shit!" I said, reaching down to pick them up. Bending down, stretching my arm out, I saw another arm reaching across to help me. I knew that hand anywhere. God knows I had stared at it long enough in high school, dreaming about those long, slim fingers doing numerous dirty, dirty things to me. As I stood, I slowly allowed my eyes to move up, reaching the face of the man that had lived in my fantasies for so long. However, this was no fantasy. Never in any of my daydreams had I seen Jasper Cullen standing in front of me in the supermarket, me wearing saggy arsed tracksuit pants, and him holding out a packet of tampons towards me. He was smiling.

"Alice Brandon, right?" he asked, still smiling that smirky smile at me, talking in that smooth, calm, Jasper Cullen voice. I stood there, stupidly staring at him. He started to frown.

"Are you okay?" he asked, suddenly concerned.

In the background I heard the sound of someone clearing their throat. My head spun around to see Jess, standing there staring at me, eyebrows raised, head tilted towards Jasper, the look on her face clearly indicating what an absolute fuckwit I was currently being. My head spun back towards him.

"No, sorry, I'm fine. Just … distracted." Bloody hell, what an understatement. My Jasper hormones, now realising that the star of all their fantasies was standing directly in front of them, had suddenly decided to pool in the lower half of my body, in readiness for their every fantasy to become a reality. I swallowed and focused, mentally telling them to fuck off and disperse already. They ignored me. He smiled again.

"Okay, fair enough. Anything I could help you with?" he asked kindly. _Holy Jesus, Holy Jesus, Holy Jesus. Do not jump the boy. Do not dry hump the boy. _I heard Jess clear her throat again. This time I didn't look at her.

"Oh, no thanks. Sorry, I should get out of your way." I stepped back, moving aside, heart pounding, frantically groping at all of the things in my hands. Then, I realised I was missing something.

"You forgot these."

I looked up to see the familiar smirk more pronounced, eyes dancing, him holding out the box of tampons towards me. I reached out and took them from him and looked up again into his face.

"Thank you, Jasper Cullen," I said to him quietly.

His eyes widened, his smile dropping slightly, and for just a moment we looked at each other. Finally he spoke.

"Any time," he said, still staring into my face. "Any time at all, Alice Brandon."

And that was it. Finally, Jasper Cullen knew I existed, and I wasn't going to waste it. I'll never forget the excitement I felt when he called to ask me out. I was so surprised when he sounded nervous, voice halting, like he was asking someone out for the first time ever. And the excitement when he came to pick me up, and held my hand for the first time in my life. The butterflies in my stomach when he first kissed me, and nothing, _nothing _that I could ever conjure up in my mind, came close to that real kiss. When he took me home that night, I sat at my window, hugging my dressing gown to my body, thanking whoever it was that finally made him see me.

I remembered the nervousness I felt when I eventually told him how I felt about him and for how long. He stared at me astounded for a moment, before grabbing me, both hands on my face and kissing me forcefully. He was so angry at himself for never realising, for staying in a relationship that he was so unhappy in, for so long. He promised me that night that he would make us perfect, that my wait would not be for nothing. I believed him.

So here I was, twenty-eight years old, and it was finally time. I moved my hands around my back to remove my apron. I poked my head around into Emmett's office. He was sitting at the desk.

"I'm off," I called.

He looked up. "Give me two seconds, I'll walk you out." He smiled at me, starting to pack up his papers.

I shook my head. "No, that's cool. Jasper is waiting for me outside."

His smiled widened and he leaned back in his chair. "Oh really?" he teased me, eyebrows shooting up.

I giggled. "Yes, _really,_" I answered, throwing my apron at him. "See you tomorrow."

He nodded. "No worries, Mousey, take care."

I walked back into the front bar and reached up to turn out the lights, suddenly able to see Jasper's car parked out the front. I frowned - he wasn't in it, nor was he standing near the front door. They were normally the two spots where he would wait. _Oh well, _I figured, _I'll just go out there and see where he is._

Knowing that Emmett would leave through the back entrance, I opened the front bar door and locked it behind me, revelling in the coolness of the night air. Somewhere to the left of me, I could hear a slight rustling. _Shit, _I thought, _bloody Garrett and his mates are still around. _It wasn't a concern though; they were harmless when sober, and uber-friendly when drunk. I moved towards Jasper's car, thinking I would wait on the bonnet until he returned. As I walked, I heard the rustling get a little louder, a clear voice carried on the still night air.

"Jasper, _please," _it begged.

I froze, my heart pounding. Tilting my head slightly to hear more, I could see out of the corner of my eye, two figures, close together to my left. I, oh, so slowly, turned my head further.

Standing up against each other were Jasper and Maria. Her hands grasped around his neck, his hands, clenched, white knuckled, on her hips. His face was strained, his jaw clenched. I watched as she reached up, and leant her forehead on his chest.

"_Please," _she begged again, hands now clutching the front of his t-shirt, the material bunched and gathered. I saw him breathe deeply through his mouth, and he placed his hands on her wrists, pulling them down together under his neck. He moved his head back slightly and looked down at her, moving one hand down to brush softly against her cheek.

"Maria … I love you, I always will." He closed his eyes and leant forward, brushing his lips across her forehead.

_Oh God. No no no no no no NO … _the shock made me take in a huge breath, and I unconsciously swallowed at the same time, causing me to choke. I tried desperately to stay quiet as I hovered, not knowing which direction to go in, panic setting in, wanting so badly to get away from … _them._

Holding my breath, I stepped back, not realising I was right in front of the curb, causing me to fall. My breath whooshed out of my body as I hit the ground, and I coughed and coughed, clasping my hurt arm that I had fallen on close to me. I whirled around scrambling to stand, scraping my right knee on the road, still struggling to find air. I could hear voices behind me; Jasper was saying my name. I felt a warm hand on my shoulder. I shook it off violently.

"No no no no no no, NO!" I screamed, finally saying what had been running through my head since I saw them. I made it to my feet, wildly spinning around, trying to get my bearings. My eyes streaked past them at one stage, and I caught a glimpse of Maria, standing behind Jasper, her face a mask of horror. I didn't see Jasper's, my brain shutting his face out as my eyes rushed over him. I ran in the direction of the rear of the pub, a small part of that same brain still working, knowing to take care of me, pushing me towards where it knew Emmett would be.

He was there, unlocking the door to his car. His eyes widening with fear when he saw me, dropping his bag and keys, running towards me.

"Alice?" he shouted as he reached me. He grabbed me as I pushed my entire body into his, crushing my face into his chest and holding my arms against my torso, as I screwed my eyes shut.

"Oh Jesus," I heard him say as he wrapped his arms around me and dragged me back towards his car.

"Alice, please, what happened? Did someone hurt you?" He struggled to hold me, trying desperately to reach down and pick up his keys to get me in the car. Suddenly, I felt his body stiffen, and I made a small groan as I felt him hold me to him tighter.

"Jasper? What the fuck? What's going on?" I heard him say. I shook my head from side to side against the front of Emmett's shirt, feeling my hair catching in one of the buttons, not caring when it pulled and released, tearing my strands of hair out.

"Alice, Alice, please. I'm _so sorry._"

I made a straining sound against Emmett's chest in response to Jasper's plea, my body trying too hard to force words out, begging Emmett to please take me away.

I didn't have to say it; he seemed to know.

"I'll talk to you later," I heard him say to Jasper, a warning. Then he pulled me against him as he unlocked the car door.

"It's alright, sweetheart. It's alright. I'm going to put you in the car and we'll go. Okay?"

"Rose," I managed to choke out.

He gave me a small squeeze. "Yes, we're going to Rose."

He placed me gently in the car and shut my door. I heard him walk behind the car, the sounds of his shoes on the gravel stopping, and I faintly heard him say "_Don't_" firmly and then get in the car, start it up, and drive away.

He took me to Rose that night, who cleaned me up and sat with me while I stared at the wall. For so long, from such a young age, Jasper Cullen was all that I saw in my life. Without him, I didn't know what to look at anymore.

**Oo—oO**

**Hey guys, thought you might like to see how Alice saw it. Will continue with the story next chapter. **

**A few explanations – 'bucks party' is an aussie saying for a bachelor party.**

** 'Footy' here is Australian Rules Football.**

** Dressing gown – a robe**

** Finally, I'm Australian, so ass here – is arse :) **


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own the rest.**

**Thanks for the feedback! Thanks also to LoriAnnTwiFan and ****CapriciousC from PTB. Lovin' your work with my crappy comma usage, ladies ;)**

**Oo—oO**

**Chapter 6**

**Edward**

Once Bella left and Jasper gave me enough shit to last a lifetime, we headed back to the house. My crappy morning took a nosedive even further when we discovered Jane's car, with Jane standing next to it, in the driveway. The last thing I needed at that moment was to deal with Jane and her bullshit. I was just about to open my mouth and tell her I was heading out, then I got a look at her face. She was fuming, fists clenched at her sides, staring off towards the end of the driveway. Her head spun around when she spotted us, her demeanour changing immediately.

"Oh, Edward!" Her face crumpled, and she ran over to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and burying her face in my chest. I held my arms out, not knowing where to put them, and looked at Jasper in panic. He shrugged his shoulders and made a hugging action with his arms, indicating to me that I should maybe...put my arms around her?

Slowly, gingerly, I put each of my hands on her hips as she blubbered into my shirt.

"Um … Jane … is everything okay?" I asked her hesitantly.

She cried louder in response, a wailing sound punctuated with snorting noises not unlike Tanya occasionally made. Above her head, I noticed Jacob and Seth heading in our direction, identical frowns on their faces. Finally, Jane heaved a breath and moved her face away from me, leaving a spit trail as she did. I grimaced.

"Oh, Edward," she continued to wail, hands grasping my chest. "I just spoke to Dr. Swan, and she was so awful to me!"

I frowned again and looked over at Jasper. He crossed his arms and gave me a doubtful look. We were all fully aware of Jane and her reputation for being an absolute bitch to other women. I hadn't hidden my past girlfriends from her for no reason.

"Are you sure, Jane? I mean -"

She stepped back, giving me a look of outrage.

"Of course I'm sure! Do you think I'd make something like that up?" She shook her head. "She was so mean to me, so dismissive!" She looked up at me again. "Oh, Edward! I was going to go into town on Saturday night and have a meal at Rose's pub! But now, I'm simply too scared in case I see her." She grasped my hand. "Will you come with me, please? I'd feel so much safer with you there!"

I gaped, stunned, my brain was scrambling for a way to get out of it. I had to figure out a way to say no without her crying and latching onto me again.

"Well …," I began.

She pulled my hand in tighter and hugged me around the waist again, this time with joy.

"Oh, _thank you,_ Edward! You're so lovely!" She skipped back, opened up her car door and hopped in. The window made a humming sound as it went down, and she stuck her head out as she started the car.

"Oh! And Edward? Please pick me up at 6:30pm … oh! And – could you wear that lovely white shirt with your dark jeans?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but she shouted,"Thank you!" Then she waved madly as she drove off.

I stared after her, dazed, barely hearing the snickering of my arsehole brother and my friends.

Finally, I felt a hand slap my shoulder. I turned my head to see Jasper looking across at me with a sympathetic face.

"I think you just got railroaded," he stated, following my gaze down the driveway.

I was unable to speak, still stunned. Suddenly, my brain caught up and I realised – I was going out with Jane on Saturday night … _I was going out with Jane on Saturday night._ I ran both my hands through my hair.

"_Fuck!_" I said, grasping handfuls of my hair and pulling slightly.

Jasper slapped my back again. This time when I looked over at him, he grinned. I waited.

"Well …," he said slowly, grinning wider. "At least you'll have a chance to break your drought."

I sighed and looked up at the sky. Then Jacob spoke.

"Hang on, so what was it that was so bad that Bella said to Jane?"

I shook my head, not having any idea, then glared at him.

"What did you call her?" I demanded.

He looked back at me, confused. "Bella? She told me to call her Bella …," he answered me, frowning.

With that, I shoved Jasper's arm off and stormed into the house. From behind me, I heard Jacob's voice ask, "What the fuck did I say?"

**Saturday night**

**Bella**

Bloody hell, it was hot. I stood at my rear French Doors and tried to decide whether or not to go for a swim. It had been another stinking hot day, and the pool looked very inviting. Just as I was deciding, my phone beeped with a message. I sighed.

I turned and walked slowly over to the dining table and reached out for the mobile. I dreaded reading the message. Already this week, I had received two further messages from Peter. I had deleted each one before reading, and I really didn't want another one. I lifted it up to peer at the screen. _Rose._ Smiling, I opened it up.

_Hey Bella. Emmett and I are having dinner at the pub tonight with Alice. Are you interested?_

Working with Rose this week had been fun. She was a really nice person with a great sense of humour. I also hadn't seen Alice since I had lunch with her last weekend, and I actually found myself wanting to catch up with her again. I also wanted to see Emmett, who I had warmed to immediately. I smiled and typed back a message.

_Thanks, I'd love to. Will meet you there at 6:30pm? Tell Emmett I'll get the first round this time._

With that, I put my phone down and headed off to my bedroom to get ready.

**Oo—oO**

Parking my car in front of the pub, the first thing I noticed was how busy it was. Many cars were parked across the front, and groups of people were sitting inside, as well as at tables outside the front doors. It was still a very warm night, with no hint of a breeze. The air had been stifling all day, and there didn't seem to be any relief in sight. Even though I knew the pub was air conditioned, I was glad I had worn as little as possible. With my black Billabong cotton shorts and favourite white cami, I was set. I especially loved the top I was wearing; it was all white, with spaghetti straps, and was fitted around the bust, then flowed out until it hit the very top of my thighs. I had teamed it with black sandals, and wanting to feel a little pretty, I painted my toenails a deep blood-red colour.

As I got out of the car, I immediately spotted Rose and Alice standing outside with a beer. I locked my doors and started to walk in their direction. Before I could get too far, I was nearly tripped by a dog running up to sniff at my toes. His tail was wagging furiously, making his whole back end wriggle from side to side, as he concentrated on the smell of my nail polish. I laughed as I bent down to him.

"Hey, little buddy."

His tail wagged even harder, nearly smacking me in the face. I giggled and pushed it out of the way, tugging playfully and roughly at the thick hair at his neck. He lifted his head and shoved his face into mine, sniffing, and giving me a lick on my right cheek. I pushed him away happily.

"Hey! Yuck! What are you doing here? Where's your owner, hey?"

He looked up at me again, mouth open, panting. Then he turned and ran off towards the outside of the bar, flopping down in the shade, and taking a drink from a bowl that someone had provided for him. _Oh well, I guess his owner is inside then._ I gave him a wave as he stared at me, and I walked until I reached Rose and Alice.

"Bella!" Alice sang, hugging me. "It's so good to see you again."

I smiled and hugged her back. "Hi, Alice. How have you been?"

"Really good! Thank _God _I'm not on tonight, though! Look at all of these people!" She looked around amazed.

Suddenly, a hand wrapped around my shoulders from behind, and a large figure stepped up next to me. I looked over and smiled at seeing Emmett's happy face.

"Hey, Emmett. How are you going?"

He squeezed my shoulders and raised an eyebrow at me. "I'm pretty good, Townie. How about you?"

"Not bad, thanks."

He smiled and looked over at Rose and Alice. "Good. Well, come on then, ladies. I'm starving, and it's bloody hot out here. Let's go inside and get some grub."

Walking in, I realised just how busy the pub really was. Thankfully, Emmett had booked a table for us, so we slowly made our way over. Walking behind Emmett, I nearly ran straight into the back of him when he stopped suddenly and looked over at the occupants of a nearby table.

"What the hell?" I heard him breathe. He poked Rose, and she turned around, puzzled. "Hey Rosie, we need to go over and say hello to Edward and Jasper, okay?"

"Okay," she replied, looking at him strangely and followed his gaze. Immediately, her eyebrows shot up. "God, yes," she said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to where they were sitting.

I followed them, looking over my shoulder at Alice, who had her arms crossed and was looking down. I reached back and touched her arm, giving her a smile as she looked up. She returned the smile gratefully as we reached them. Emmett spoke first.

"Hey guys, good to see you here," he said, then paused. "Hello Jane."

My head spun around, and I saw Jasper sitting at the table, with Jacob and Seth beside him on either side. Across from them was Edward, rigid in his chair, hands clutched together in front of him on the table. He looked incredible, wearing black jeans and a black t shirt. _Scratch that,_ I thought, salivating internally. _He looks edible._ I mentally slapped myself and looked next to him at Jane. Her chair was pulled over close to his. She was sitting, clad in a black dress, leaning against him, legs crossed, hands clasped in her lap, a massive, smug smile stamped across her face. I internally groaned.

"Why, hello Emmett … ladies … Dr. Swan," she said, her voice lowering as it got to my name.

I gave her a tight smile, not responding.

"Hey guys, here for dinner too?" Jasper asked us, eyes darting over to Alice and then returning to Emmett quickly.

Emmett nodded. I saw Edward clench his jaw and attempt to lean slightly away from Jane. His mouth lifted in a tiny smile as he glanced over at Emmett, Rose and Alice, finally landing on me. His eyes tightened slightly as he looked at me, a muscle in his jaw starting to twitch. I looked quickly away.

"Hey, Bella! So you decided to come after all?"

My eyes moved over to the voice and discovered Jacob, leaning forward in his seat, a huge smile on his face. I gave him a small smile back.

"Hi Jacob," I replied. "Yeah, last minute thing."

His smile widened. "That's great. Maybe I can get you a drink later, after we've all eaten?"

I opened my mouth to decline when I saw Edward lean towards Jacob in his seat, eyes narrowed, jaw clenched.

"_Jacob," _he said quietly, menacingly.

Jacob looked over at him, surprised. Edward continued, "Let's go order … now."

Slowly, Jacob's expression morphed from surprise to unease as they continued to stare at each other. There was a silence.

"Well … um … we'd better get over to our table before someone nicks it … so, see you later?" Emmett asked, breaking the silence.

Jasper smiled, and Jane ignored him, busy watching the stand-off going on next to her. I let out a breath of relief, and we moved on.

"What the hell's going on there?" Rose asked when we got to our table.

Emmett shook his head. "I have no idea, but Edward is _really_ pissed off about whatever it is." He looked at Rose curiously. "Where were you, anyway? You didn't speak at all!"

She looked over at him, disbelievingly. "Do you blame me? I was speechless! What the hell is Jane doing with them, anyway?" she exclaimed.

Emmett laughed. "I know! I'm definitely gonna call Edward during the week."

I frowned and leaned forward in my seat, speaking lowly, "Hang on? Why shouldn't Jane be there? She _is _Edward's girlfriend, after all."

Rose and Alice looked over at me incredulously.

"What?" I asked, confused.

Rose blinked a couple of times. "Hang on a sec, Bella. I'm just trying to get the right words here ..." She looked contemplative, staring out the window for a moment before turning back to me. "Okay, I'm ready … Bella – _what the fuck?"_

I sat back, surprised at her response, whilst Alice giggled into her beer next to me.

"What do you mean? Jane told me that she and Edward were together and had been for a very long time," I explained.

Rose's eyes narrowed as Emmett sighed and leaned back into his chair, shaking his head.

"Why, that conniving little bitch. I can't believe she told you that. No, actually I can." She looked over at Emmett and raised her eyebrows. Then, she turned back to me. "Bella, there is no way in _hell _that Edward Cullen would go anywhere near Jane. He can't stand her anywhere near him. Bloody hell, Jasper's pig would have a better chance with him than that woman."

"Ewww."

Rose rolled her eyes over at Alice. "Well, it's true, isn't it?"

Alice sighed, "I guess. Bella, whatever Jane has told you is complete crap. She and Edward have _never _been together."

I looked over to Emmett for final confirmation. He nodded his head.

"All true, Townie. Hell, the woman chases him all the time, but he can't bear to be around her. That's why we're so surprised to see her here with him."

"Huh," I said, glancing over at their table.

Emmett sighed to himself, leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. "Okay ladies, now that's sorted, it's time to order."

We ate quickly, fairly silently. It was difficult to talk to each other with all of the noise going on around us. We eventually finished our meals and sat back, alternately attempting to carry on a conversation, as well as trying to steal glances at the Cullens' table, each for different reasons. I could see that Edward had barely moved all evening, back stiff, almost as if he was trying to get away from Jane rather than sit close to her. It was strange behaviour, I thought, considering they were obviously here together tonight. My thoughts were interrupted as I jumped slightly when Rose slapped her hands down on the table.

"Come on," she said. "Let's get out of here. It's too bloody hot; do you want to get some fresh air?"

We all nodded and got up, walking quickly towards the door. Before we got to it, however, Emmett stopped.

"Can you guys just wait up for a sec? I just need to have a word with Marcus – he's closing up tonight."

Rose nodded at him. "No worries, babe. We'll wait for you outside."

He gave her a quick kiss. "Thanks, I'll only be a sec." With that, he headed to the bar.

We continued outside to discover that most people had moved inside to the front bar, where it was cooler. There was barely anyone out there now, and the air was still very stuffy. Next to me, I saw Alice fan her face.

"Bloody hell, it's still so hot tonight," she said looking around. Suddenly she stopped, her eyes moving over to Rose. "Hey Rose, how hot are you?" she asked, nonchalantly.

Rose rolled her eyes. "What do you think Al?" she responded. "God, it's bloody _awful _out here!" she complained. "So much for the fresh air!"

All of a sudden, I saw a flash of movement from Alice's direction towards Rose. Before I could comprehend, I heard a loud shriek and found myself covered in a spray of water.

"_What the fuck, Alice?_" Rose screamed, turning her body away from the hose that Alice had directed at her. Alice cackled in delight and twisted the head of the hose, increasing the intensity of the spray. I started laughing and moved away from them, trying to avoid getting hit myself.

"Oh, no you don't." I heard Rose say as she reached out to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me under. I instantly screamed as the freezing cold water hit me on the back, drenching me immediately. Behind us, we could hear Alice as she convulsed with laughter, mercilessly pointing the spray at both of us as we clung to each other, squealing.

"Bugger this!" Rose said as she lunged towards Alice and snatched the hose from her grasp. I watched, bent over with laughter, as Alice's cackling turned into a screech when Rose ran up and sprayed her with the hose at close range, aiming directly down the front of her shirt. Rose then turned towards me, smiled, and pointed the hose upwards at the sky, as the water lifted and fell around us in a shower of droplets. I immediately ran over to them, and the three of us danced under the makeshift rain, grinning with joyfulness, howling with laughter.

**Edward**

I headed out to the car to pick Jane up, as directed. I balked at wearing the clothes she requested and threw on my favourite jeans and t-shirt. As I drove towards her farm, I prayed fervently that Bella would not be at the pub tonight. The last thing I wanted was for her to think that Jane and I were together. At the last minute before I left, Gus jumped into the car, thinking he could come along. I was about to kick him out when I figured, _what the hell, _at least she wouldn't be able to get too close with a dog sitting in between us.

I knew that my behaviour was shitty when I stopped out the front of her place and beeped the horn, but I couldn't find it in myself to care. Normally, I was a perfect gentleman when picking up a woman for a date, but I didn't consider this a date at all. Hell, I hadn't even had a say in going. So I sat in the car and waited for her to come out. Eventually, she appeared and grudgingly walked towards the car and opened the passenger door. I nearly laughed at the expression on her face when she spotted Gus in the front seat next to me. She made a quick, half hearted shooing movement with her hand as she gingerly sat down, but he knew the deal. Totally ignoring her, he moved his head to my knee and looked up at me with sympathy.

We rode to the pub in silence. I got out of the car and waited for Gus to jump out behind me. I instructed Jane to go inside and find our table while I made sure that Gus was comfortable with water in the shade. He had been here enough times with me to know to wait outside for me. She huffed loudly and stalked inside, obviously extremely pissed.

I eventually walked inside to find Jane settled at the table with Jasper, Jacob and Seth. Jasper and Jacob were already grinning, relishing my discomfort. Seth looked at me in commiseration. Jasper spoke first.

"Hey, little brother, we've saved you a seat next to Jane," he said, still grinning. I scowled at him in return. His grin widened.

I sat down in my seat and moved it as far away from Jane as I could manage. Unfortunately, she was having none of that and casually slid her seat over to me to lean her shoulder up against mine. From the corner of my eye, I caught sight of Jasper trying not to laugh as he lifted his beer to his lips. I ardently hoped he choked. I sat rigidly in my seat, my hands on the table in front me, clenched together, in silence, staring sullenly out the front window. The guys started up a conversation about work, but I tuned them out and prayed for this night to end quickly.

I watched the movement outside of the window impassively, until a familiar four-wheel drive parked directly in front. I immediately sat up a little straighter with interest, wondering if it was who I thought it could be. My suspicions were confirmed as the driver's door opened and those amazing legs appeared. Clad in black shorts, they straightened out as she stood, and because God was obviously feeling sorry for me, she bent over and leaned into her car to remove something, giving me a fuckawesome view of her arse.

Suddenly, my interest peaked. Unfortunately, so did my dick. After being in the car with Jane alone, it had practically crawled back up into my body. But now, faced with the sight of Bella's lower half dressed in short shorts, it was more than ready to come out and catch the show. I shifted in my seat, giving it a little more room, and desperately tried to hide it from Jane. Still concentrating outside the window, I watched as Bella shut her car door and began to walk.

Suddenly, out shot Gus, as he bounded up to her and planted his face directly onto her feet. I frowned – he knew better than to run up to people. I was just about to get up and grab him when she smiled and bent down, playing with him roughly, and he loved it. I watched as he responded to her, he wagged his tail mightily and licked her face as she playfully pushed him away. As I saw him run back to his bowl happily, I smiled to myself. So far, this girl was pretty much perfect. I was quickly brought out of my brief happiness however, by the sound of Jane's whining voice.

"Edward?" she asked sharply. "What on Earth are you smiling at?"

I was about to answer her when Jasper stepped in.

"He was just checking out the sights outside the window, weren't you bro?"

I smiled and shook my head slightly, knowing that Jasper had been watching me, watching her.

"Yep. Just looking out the window, checking on Gus," I replied.

Jane sighed, "Goodness me, you worry about that animal far too much. He's only a dog, after all," she said disdainfully.

I shook my head again. I was just about to speak up when I spotted a group of people standing at our table. I looked over to see Emmett and Rose staring at us incredulously; Rose's mouth hung open. Emmett spoke, saying hello, and I vaguely noticed a response from Jane and Jasper. I shifted my eyes away to Alice, who was half hidden behind Bella, looking everywhere but at us. Then, I shifted them over to Bella. She was looking alternately at myself and Jane, eyes taking in Jane's form, pushed up against me, as she sat practically in my lap. I stiffened even more and realised that she actually thought that Jane and I were together. Suddenly, I was pissed off – partially with Jane, but mostly with myself, for not speaking up in the first place and telling Jane no. I was boiling internally when I saw Jacob lean forward and smile at Bella.

"Hey Bella! So you decided to come after all?" he asked her eagerly.

I seethed quietly, and my fingers twitched with the intense desire to reach across and push his face into the table. I saw her smile back and answer him quietly, satisfied that she didn't seem to be as enthused about seeing him as he was her. He didn't get the hint. When he leaned forward again and asked her if she wanted to have a drink with him later, I saw red. Jaw clenched, eyes narrowed, I was poised to lunge across the table and grab him by the throat. Leaning towards him, I spoke, voice low and dangerous, with savage thoughts running through my head at the thought of him being with her.

"Jacob." At the sound of his name, he looked over, his face becoming comically surprised at the obviously murderous look on mine. I went on, "Let's go order. Now."

With that, his surprise turned to unease, and he continued to stare at me. I didn't look away.

The remainder of the night was tense. Both Jane and Jacob were pissed at my actions. Jacob and Seth left early, and I knew that it was because I had been an arsehole all night. I couldn't really find it in myself to care.

When it was finally time to leave, I stood quickly and gratefully. I was never so glad to walk out of the pub. The place had nearly emptied out, and as Jasper opened the front door and walked out in front of me, he suddenly stopped.

"Jesus." I heard him say under his breath, and I stepped out past him, curious - and saw it.

Frozen next to him, I watched, mesmerised at the scene in front of us. Alice, Rose and Bella were dancing around, laughing hysterically, under a spray of water. At the perimeter, I saw Gus as he ran around them manically, barking delightedly up at the sky. Rose was holding a hose, directed up into that same sky, creating rainfall that fell liberally down amongst them. I swept my eyes across the three of them, landing on Bella. Her white shirt was drenched and plastered to her body. I could see hints of pink skin through the semi-transparent material at her stomach, and my breath caught as my eyes moved upwards, detecting the lace of her bra across her breasts. The water ran in rivulets – inside her top, between her breasts. I looked down to see the trail continue where her shorts ended, as it cascaded slowly down the inside of her thighs to her knees when she moved.

I groaned quietly, so badly wanting to run my tongue along the trails, to see and feel those muscles move rhythmically underneath my hands and mouth. She danced, her body jumped up and down, her laughter rang out across the nearly empty parking lot. As Rose slipped slightly and screeched loudly, Bella bent down to grab her before she fell. _Oh fuck, _I thought. _Please let her do that again. _The movement made her soaking top fall, the weight of the water dragging it down. It exposed the top of her breasts and the upper lace of her white bra, allowing me a glimpse of the perfect roundness, the two pressed together, as it created the most amazing cleavage. My eyes, wanting to savour the sight, closed slowly. Then my brain internally smacked them, ordering the fuckwits to open themselves again immediately. I continued to stand there, my heart pounding, hypnotised by the sight, until an unwelcome voice entered my head.

"How childish." I heard Jane say disdainfully from next to me.

I was unable to tear my eyes away to look at her.

"Yeah," Jasper and I sighed together, still fixated on the sight before us.

Jane huffed and walked off. "Goodbye, Edward. I shall call Daddy to take me home," she said dismissively as she left.

I half heartedly waved. "Yep, no worries," I mumbled, then looked over at Jasper.

He was staring at Alice, eyes widened, dumbfounded, mouth slightly open. I smirked to myself. It finally looked as though Jasper was coming to his senses. I returned my eyes to Bella, still smirking. I was going home now – but not to wallow, this time. I was taking my brother home with me, and we were going home to plan. I wanted this girl, and I had no doubt in my mind how much Jasper wanted Alice. The Cullen boys were pulling out the big guns. These two didn't stand a chance.

**Oo—oO**

**xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own the rest.**

**Thanks again to the lovely people at PTB who fix up my usual mistakes :)**

**Special thanks to CapriciousC and LoriAnn TwiFan from PTB, who have agreed to permanently beta this. Hope my crappy comma usage doesn't drive you crazy. xox**

**Oo—oO**

**Chapter 7**

**Edward**

It was bloody hot. I rolled over in bed and pushed the sheet down to my legs, then kicked it the rest of the way off. I laid there on my back, waiting for the cool air to wash over me. It was pointless as there was none. Running my hand over my face, I sat up on the edge of the bed. My eyes had adjusted to the darkness enough though, that I could make out the outline of the furniture in my bedroom. It was 3:57 a.m. and Jasper and I had finished up our talk only an hour and a half ago. We had sat there in the lounge drinking beer until late, as he finally opened up about Alice. I had listened while he explained _exactly _what had happened that night. I had shaken my head, not quite believing the incredibly bad luck that had led Maria to follow Jasper; to try to persuade him to get back together with her. Then, the way Jasper had tried to soften the blow of his denial, which of course Alice had witnessed. The pure pain in Alice's eyes, the sound of her trying to speak to tell Emmett what had happened, the look of fear and then fury in Emmett's eyes – had all led to Jasper's self-doubt and worry about what he had actually done to Alice. Of course later that night he had been forced to explain the situation to Emmett, who had turned up on his doorstep after dropping Alice off with Rose. Emmett being Emmett had first called Jasper a 'fucking idiot', before sympathising with him. Then he had tried to force him to speak to Alice. Of course Jasper didn't – and as time wore on, the feelings only got worse. Until they reached a point where Jasper and Alice couldn't bear to look at one another. He was now determined to change that.

I felt a cold nose on my foot and looked down to see Gus, confused as to what was going on and looking up at me. I moved my foot to use my toes to rub behind his ears. He snuffled through his nose and put his head back down on the carpet. It suddenly shot up again as the door to my bedroom flew open. I instantly stood, heart pounding, and saw Jasper in the doorway. He was a mess. Still dressed in the t-shirt and jeans he wore to the pub, he was breathing heavily as if he had been running. His face was a mask of panic, eyes wide and wild.

"What the fuck, Jasper?" I half shouted at him.

He stumbled back a few paces. "Quick! Come with me. _Quick!_" he shouted as he ran down the hall.

I looked wildly around for something to put on as I was dressed only in my boxer briefs. Spotting a pair of track pants hanging over the chair in my room, I grabbed them and started putting them on while half-walking, half-stumbling after my brother.

He led me out the front door into the humid night air. I frantically followed him, wondering what the hell could be wrong. I could hear the huffing of Gus directly behind me, as he ran to keep up with us. Finally I managed to make it to his side.

"Jasper, what the hell is going on?"

He turned to me, an anguished look on his face.

"It's Tanya. I decided to go for a walk tonight after you went to bed and I came out here."

He led the way around the shearing shed to where Tanya lay in her pen. I could hear her from metres away. Her breathing was laboured, she was gasping frantically for air. I hurried over and looked in, but I could barely see her lying on her side. I turned to Jasper.

"I can't see a fucking thing!" I said desperately.

He held out a torch and flicked it on, and pointed it into the pen. Tanya was lying prone and gasping, with red blotches over her back. I instantly turned around and raced back towards the house.

"What are you doing?" I heard Jasper bellow after me.

I turned as I continued running. "Calling Bella!"

**Bella**

_Noooooooo,_ I thought to myself as the phone next to my bed let out a shrill ring. I forced myself up into a sitting position and picked up the receiver.

"Hello?" I asked groggily.

"Bella?"

I sat up a little straighter, the voice on the other end obviously agitated.

"Yes?" I answered cautiously.

"Bella, I'm sorry, it's Edward Cullen here. Would it be possible for you to come out here please?"

I instantly got out of bed, nodding. "Of course. What's wrong?"

On the other end I heard a sigh of relief before he continued.

"It's Tanya. Jasper just checked on her and she's pretty bad. It looks like she can't breathe and her body is all red. I don't know how long she's been like that."

_Oh crap. _I thought internally. It could be a number of things. I walked around my room, looking for clothes as I spoke.

"No worries, Edward. Tell Jasper I'll be about fifteen minutes, okay?"

I could feel his smile as he spoke.

"Thank God. I'll be out front, okay?"

I told him yes and hung up the phone, quickly dressing in my work shorts and a white t-shirt. I grabbed my mobile phone and ran out the front door to my car, and checked that my bag was in the back before driving towards the Cullen's.

I spotted Edward in my headlights as I drove slowly towards the house. The front light of the house was on, highlighting the front porch and the house garden around it. I parked the car and started to get out. Edward came up to me immediately, a grateful smile on his face.

"Thanks so much for coming, Bella … sorry – Dr. Swan," he said, as he held my door open and closed it behind me.

I shook my head. "Edward, please call me Bella, and it's no problem at all."

I grabbed my bag and followed him as he used a battery powered camping lantern to light the way to where Tanya was. As I got there, I could see the gate was open and Jasper was kneeling down next to her. I could also see she was in distress immediately, gasping to breathe, lying on her side with large, red blotchy patches all over her. I walked straight in and squatted next to Jasper. He looked over at me, a worried look on his face.

"Hey, Bella. Thanks so much for coming."

I smiled at him, and then turned my attention to Tanya.

"Tell me what she did today, Jasper, and how you found her."

He knelt completely down in the mud and watched Tanya while he spoke. As he did I removed my thermometer and took her temperature.

"She was out a bit with the other gilts today in a pen of their own. It's a new one that Seth and Jacob built a few weeks ago." He looked at me anxiously. "That's it. She was brought back in here in the afternoon, and I found her like this when I was going for a walk about a half an hour ago."

I removed the thermometer and read it. It was high. Checking behind her hind knee, I also found her heart rate to be elevated. I inspected the marks closely.

"Jasper, how much shade is in that new pen?" I asked as I looked at the blotches.

He shrugged. "Not a lot, there is some but she wasn't in the shade much anyway. She walked around most of the day, I think."

I looked at him. "Can I have a look at it?"

He nodded eagerly and led me over. As soon as I saw it, I had my answer.

"Jasper, she has sunstroke," I stated.

He gaped at me. "What?" he asked incredulously.

I nodded. "Yeah. She has a pretty bad case of it."

I walked back to the pen and he followed. I crouched down next to Tanya and continued.

"Her skin is pale Jasper, so she's more prone to sunburn than the other pigs. The pen may have shade, but she also needs water to wallow in because she can't sweat."

He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward walk away quickly. I reached out my hand and placed it on Jasper's forearm comfortingly.

"It's okay, we just need to cool her off before she starts to convulse." He looked at me sharply. "Do you have a hose handy?"

"I got one." I looked over to see Edward had returned with a long hose that was already running slowly. I took it gratefully, saying a quiet thanks.

I walked over to Tanya and directed the trickle of water along her back.

"We need to keep doing this to get her temperature down, and to keep it down. She also needs to stay in the shade for the rest of the day at least, and stay quiet."

The hose was gently removed from my hand as Jasper took it from me. He smiled slightly at me.

"Thanks, Bella. I'll do that." He looked down at where Tanya lay. "I'm really sorry you had to get out of bed for this."

I looked down at myself and sighed.

"That's no problem. I'm just sorry you have to see me like this." I gestured down at myself and ran my hands through my hair. In my haste to get here I forgot to brush it. I could only imagine what sort of state it was in.

Jasper laughed. "You look better than Edward does at least."

I looked over at Edward and my heart thudded as I finally took him in. Jasper had obviously gotten Edward out of bed in a rush. His hair was standing up in every direction as if it had a life of its own, and he was dressed in a pair of light grey track pants. He was also shirtless. The sun was just starting to rise, and dim rays of light shone across his skin, dipping and flowing across the curves and planes of his chest and stomach. The smattering of hair at the top of his chest glistened bronze and golden, disappearing until further down his body, where it reappeared, forming a delicious trail that led down the middle of his abdomen, between his narrow hips, that finally vanished into the waistband of his pants; I forced my eyes not to look down any further and took a breath.

"Well, Jasper. If you don't mind, I'd like to hang around for an hour or so, just to check her temperature again. Is that okay?"

He nodded vigorously. "For sure, that would be great." He suddenly looked over at Edward. "How about Edward shows you around the place a bit, while I'm cooling her off?"

I hesitated, and also looked over at Edward. He just stood there, looking at me intently.

"That's okay," I said. "You don't have to do that; I can wait here with Jasper. I'm sure you have things to do."

He frowned and held open the gate.

"Nope. The least I can do for getting you out of bed is feed you. Come on."

I stepped out of the pen and he closed the gate behind me. Immediately Gus rushed at me, hopping up and down on his hind legs in front of me in excitement. I beamed.

"Hey buddy. I forgot you were here." I bent down and cupped my hands behind his head, rubbing his ears. His mouth opened in his trademark grin as he panted up at me, tail wagging furiously. I heard a chuckle behind me.

"I think he loves you more than he loves me."

I laughed lightly, stood up and looked over my shoulder at Edward.

"I think I just smell nice to him."

At that he raised his eyebrows. "You certainly do."

I blushed and lowered my eyes to the ground. He chuckled lowly again next to me, putting his hand on my lower back. I looked up startled, to see him smirking at me.

"Come on Dr. Swan." He leaned in close to my ear. "I owe you breakfast."

**Edward**

I opened the front door to the house and held it open for Bella to come in. The sun was just beginning to rise, and in the faint light she looked even more amazing. Her hair was soft and a little messy from getting out of bed so quickly. In her shorts and t-shirt she looked so naturally beautiful. I discreetly checked her out as she walked in ahead of me, then quickly looked away and shook my head. I was never going to be able to talk to this girl if I kept doing that. She stopped and turned to me, a hesitant look on her face. I knew that she was unsure about getting involved with someone. I didn't know why, but I needed to find out if I was ever going to get anywhere with her. I gave her what I hoped was a comforting smile.

"Kitchen's through this way." I started to walk ahead of her, showing her the way. I could hear her footsteps behind me.

"Your house is gorgeous."

My smile widened as I made my way to the kitchen.

"Thanks, I'll tell Mum you said that. It was her and Dad's before they moved into the town. She decorated it, all Jasper and I did was kick them out."

She laughed. "I can see your Mum here."

I walked to the island bench, leaned on it and raised my eyebrows at her.

"You've met?"

She smiled. "Yep, and I've also met TB."

I laughed loudly as she mirrored my stance, leaning across the bench from me.

"Ahhh, TB. My Mum dotes on that dog."

She laughed with me and shook her head.

"I don't blame her. He's gorgeous."

I leaned further towards her, closing the space slightly. Her eyes widened as I did.

"Gorgeous is not a word people use to describe Tinker bell usually," I said as I looked at her.

She had a small smirk on her face as she rested her forearms on the bench, bending forward over them. It gave me the opportunity to see her close up. Her features were soft and small, the big brown eyes framed with long dark lashes. As she smiled I looked at her lips when she briefly brought her tongue out to dampen her bottom lip. I fought the urge to lunge across, bring it into my mouth and suck on it.

"I have a thing for dogs. They're all gorgeous to me," she said as she stopped and looked around, frowning. "Where's Gus gone?" she asked curiously.

I grinned. "Probably on my bed, sleeping. He's not a morning animal."

She groaned. "I don't blame him. I'd love to crawl back into bed."

_Jesus fucking Christ._ I thought as I took a deep breath and turned around. I needed to get started on this breakfast, before my dick got carried away with itself.

"So, breakfast? Eggs sound good to you?" I asked casually as I opened the fridge door.

"Sounds great, thanks. Can I give you a hand with anything?"

I shook my head. "No way. Sit down on the stool and I'll do it all."

I turned back, holding a carton of eggs to see her sitting – arms bent, both hands cupping her face, smiling.

"So, who taught you to cook?" she asked, smiling cheekily.

I smirked back at her. "You haven't tasted it yet."

Her responding giggle made me smile.

"Actually, Jasper and I can cook pretty well. When you live on your own, you learn to cook or you starve."

I looked down as I put the frying pan on the stove and turned on the toaster. From behind me I heard her sigh. I turned to her again.

"So, apart from being a vet, do you get time to do anything else?" I asked her.

She frowned slightly. "Um … my job keeps me pretty busy and in the last few months, I haven't really had time to do much at all -"

"Why's that?" I asked curiously, rearranging the pan on the stove.

"Just a few changes going on," she replied vaguely.

I chose to let it go. She continued.

"I guess I'm a pretty quiet person. I love to read and I swim all the time. That's one of the reasons why I chose Fran's house – the pool," she explained.

"Jasper and I have always loved to swim."

She looked confused. I smiled.

"Yeah, I know, we don't exactly live close to the beach, but the property has a dam." I hesitated. "You should come over one day for a swim."

I watched as she looked down at her hands nervously, so I stepped over to the counter and leaned down on it, towards her.

"Look, Bella. I don't really know what's going on."

She looked up sharply and I hurriedly continued.

"It's none of my business; I just got the impression from a few people that you like being on your own."

She laughed wryly, leaning back. I kept talking.

"I don't know why and I'm not asking. I'm just saying that if that's truly how you want to be, then that's fair enough, but I just want to tell you that when you get sick of being on your own … I'd really like you to let me know."

I moved back and turned around, continuing with breakfast. A few seconds later I felt movement as she stood next to me at the bench. I turned my head towards her. She stood looking at me with a small smile on her face, and then held her hand out. I frowned questioningly.

"Want me to butter?" she asked.

I smiled and handed her the knife.

"Sure." I watched her as she looked down, smiling, and spread butter on the toast.

"So, what do you do when you're not working?" she asked.

I grinned to myself. "Let's see …" I responded, looking up and thinking. "I drink too much, watch too much TV and spend too much time at the pub."

She giggled at me.

"No really," she said, bumping me slightly with her shoulder.

I laughed lightly, nudging her back.

"Well, Jasper and I go to the local gym with Emmett a few times a week to work out. They have a ring there and we like boxing."

She looked over, mildly surprised. I raised my eyebrow at her.

"What? I don't look like the working out type?" I challenged her.

She shook her head quickly. "Oh no, I can tell you work out." She stopped quickly and blushed, realising what she had just said.

I grinned internally – things were looking up. I continued to talk.

"I also play a bit of footy for the local team. You like football?"

She nodded vigorously. "I love it. In the city, I used to go every week."

I nodded, concentrating on the eggs, secretly pleased that she loved the sport as much as I did. She giggled again.

"It's sad, but my favourite thing is to sit at home with a beer and pizza, watching a game and listening to the rain outside." She looked over to me. "That's _really_ sad isn't it?"

I stopped and turned to her, smiling softly.

"Not at all," I said gently.

I watched her relax, her lips curving up into a smile as she leaned sideways against the counter, facing me. Slowly I lowered my hand, and placed the spatula down onto the counter and moved around to mirror her. Facing her I took a breath and began to inch closer. When it became obvious what I was doing, I expected her to lean back or to move away. She didn't. Staring at my mouth, she became stock-still, frozen in place, barely breathing. I continued to shift towards her, and leaned my upper body in until our faces were inches apart. Her eyes widened slightly and I heard her take a breath. She looked up into my eyes, then moved back down to my lips. Her tongue came out to slide across her lower lip and that was all the confirmation I needed. As I started to tilt my head, moving in a final time, a mobile phone rang. I clenched my jaw, extremely pissed off with the interruption and I watched as Bella jumped back, frowning to herself, and fished the phone from her back pocket. She looked at me apologetically as I stood back running my fingers through my hair in frustration.

"Sorry," she said. "I'd better get this, in case it's another client."

I nodded as she answered quickly, not bothering to look at the display.

"Hello, Bella Swan speaking."

Immediately her face changed as she moved backwards, placing her hand on the counter for support. She turned away from me, head down. I frowned as I heard her speak lowly into the phone, her voice urgent and tense.

"I told you to leave me alone … I don't care, you need to leave me alone … _I told you _I want nothing to do with you – _no, you need to listen to me … _" She then walked quickly out of the room.

I stood still, listening.

"No, Peter – _No! _I'm hanging up now. _Please … _please. I don't know why you're calling me."

I continued listening, but started to move towards the door as I heard her voice rise in panic.

"_NO! _LEAVE ME ALONE! _I don't care! Not after what you did!_"

I heard her phone snap shut. There was silence for a few moments as I made my way out of the room. I found her standing around the corner of the doorway, head down, the heels of both hands on her forehead. She saw me come in and quickly turned away.

"I'm sorry, Edward," she said brusquely as she rushed away from me towards the front door. "I'm really sorry but I can't stay for breakfast."

She reached the door and lifted her hand up to open it. But before she could I grabbed her arm gently, pulling her slightly away from the door.

"Bella, wait," I asked her softly. "Are you okay?"

She turned towards me, face flushed, tears on her face, and quickly looked down at the floor. I put my hand on her chin, trying to lift her face to look at me but she pushed against it and shook her head.

"What did he do to you?" I whispered, and a small sob broke from her lips.

"Edward, please … don't," she murmured, her voice breaking.

I sighed and let her face go, but I couldn't let _her _go as I moved towards her until we were inches apart. My hands reached up so they were hovering at her waist and I lowered my face, nearly touching the top of her head. As I spoke, I could feel my breath moving the strands of her hair.

"I won't … Bella, I won't … you can trust me."

She gave a small nod, still looking at the ground. I reached an arm over her shoulder and turned the handle on the door. She slid one hand up against my chest, and held it there for a moment. Then slowly she turned and walked out, heading towards the pen.

**Oo—oO**

**xox**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own the rest.**

**Thanks to LoriAnnTwiFan and CapriciousC xox**

**Chapter 8**

**Bella**

"Get going! You have ten minutes before I drag you out that door and take you home with me!"

I groaned into my hands, leaning up against the front counter. I peeked through my fingers to see Rose, face flushed with aggravation, pointing towards the front door. I lowered my hands.

"Rose, I know you mean well; but seriously, I can't go to some dance tonight."

She placed both hands on her hips, and I held my hands up to placate her.

"Wait – you don't understand. Edward will be there, right?" I asked her.

She nodded firmly.

"Well ..." I began weakly.

She interrupted me, "Oh, don't worry. I know all about what happened last week. He told Emmett."

She stood up straighter and raised her eyebrows at me. "Bella, really? You left?" she asked incredulously.

I folded my arms across my torso, embarrassed about how I acted the last time I saw Edward. But in my defence, after the phone call I received, I honestly didn't know what else to do.

"It sounds crazy, I know, but I had to. You don't understand, Rose. I got a phone call that … well … I just didn't handle very well."

Her face softened and she sighed. "I know. Edward mentioned that to Emmett too. Are you okay?"

I swallowed nervously. "Honestly, I don't know. It was my ex-boyfriend. We broke up shortly before I moved here, and he has been calling me regularly ever since. I have been screening his calls up until now, but I was distracted and answered this one."

With that, her eyebrows shot up again.

"Distracted?"

"I think … I think we nearly kissed," I confessed.

A soft smile overcame Rose's face, and she reached out a hand to place it softly on my forearm.

"Oh, sweetie … there's nothing wrong with that. You know that, don't you?"

I nodded. "I do, but to be honest, I'm scared of the way I feel when I'm around him. He makes me want to feel things that I don't think I'm ready for. I don't want him to get the wrong idea, that's all."

Her hand rubbed gently up and down my arm. "Bella, you don't give Edward enough credit. He _knows _that something is holding you back, and he won't push you. I've known him all my life, and he really is one of the good ones. Just trust him; it wouldn't hurt to let him in a little, would it?"

I looked up at her and gave her a small smile. "Nope, I guess not."

Her smile widened. "Excellent. Just remember, you are two attractive, _single _people. You can take it slowly, you know?" She stopped and looked thoughtful for a moment, then continued in a more serious tone. "Look, I know it's none of my business, but can I give you a bit of advice?"

I looked at her hesitantly and nodded.

"Please don't let something bad ruin what could possibly be something amazing. I know it's probably a different situation, but between you and Alice, I get so _frustrated_. Please don't run from him, Bella. It's so clear how Edward feels about you, but even he won't wait forever."

I sighed and leaned back against the counter.

She continued, "Okay, so please walk out that door and go get ready."

I looked at her doubtfully as she pointed at the door.

"We'll pick you up at seven."

**Edward**

I sighed, frustrated, as I looked at myself in the bathroom mirror. My face was covered in a day's worth of scruff, but I couldn't really give a shit. Why bother shaving? Bella probably wasn't even going to be there tonight. Besides, who the fuck was this Peter, and what had happened between them? The selfish part of me wanted to just come out and ask her. Another part of me saw and heard the pain emanate from her last week in my kitchen, and knew, if she wanted me to know, she would tell me in her own time. It didn't stop me from being pissed off about it, though. I hooked the towel around my waist and opened the door, startled to find my brother standing there, leaning up against the opposite wall with a small grin on his face.

"What?" I asked him.

He leant his head forward off the wall, and looked at me squarely.

"Rose just called."

My heart sped up.

"And?" I asked him.

He nodded, his smile widening.

"She's coming."

I grinned back at him. "Thank fuck for that." Then I moved off towards my bedroom door. Just as I reached it, I turned back to face him.

"And Alice?"

He shoved both hands into his pockets and looked at me with determination. "I'm ready."

I nodded and stepped into my room. He wasn't the only one.

**Oo – oO**

I stepped out of the car as soon as Jasper pulled it to a stop in front of the town hall. Tonight was the annual charity evening, and it was likely that the entire town would be out for it. I winced as I shut the car door behind me and tugged at my tie, trying to loosen it just a little. I was too used to wearing singlets and jeans, and it was too bloody hot tonight to wear anything more.

"Can't wait to get out of this bloody suit," I grumbled.

I looked over at Jasper as he rounded the front of the car to meet me. He too, was tugging at his tie in discomfort.

"Shit yeah, and I hope the beer is cold."

He grinned and nodded in agreement as we walked into the hall. It was unrecognisable from its usual drabness. Round tables were adorned with cloths and silverware, the accompanying chairs draped in matching material. Surrounding us were women in cocktail dresses standing in groups, with glasses of wine in their hands. Surrounding them were men in suits, beers in hand, trying desperately to find out what the footy scores were. I scoured the room for Rose or Alice, figuring that Bella wouldn't be too far away from them, but couldn't see any of them.

"There's Emmett," Jasper said, pointing over to the corner of the room.

I started walking over, with Jasper following. As we neared him, Emmett's head turned, and he broke out into a grin.

"Well, well, well, look at you two." He wolf-whistled slowly, looking us up and down.

"Shut the fuck up," I groaned at him. "You know how I hate wearing this shit."

He laughed loudly, clapping me on the back. "Good to see you both. Rose shouldn't be too long, but you can't go anywhere; she wants to talk to the both of you."

He looked pointedly at us, and I heard Jasper groan under his breath. I turned to look at him and saw him looking over at the bar. I followed his gaze to see Rose coming towards us with two beers in her hand. As she arrived, I smiled at her.

"Thanks, Rosie. I'm dying for a beer."

She snorted. "Well go get your own, Cullen. Your charms don't work on me."

Jasper and Emmett laughed as Emmett snuck his arm around Rose's waist and took the beer she was offering.

"Thanks, Babe."

Jasper turned towards Rose cautiously. "Emmett tells us that you wanted to have a word?"

She looked at us carefully. "I just wanted to warn you guys about Bella and Alice." Jasper opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly interrupted, "Yes, I know it's none of my business when it comes to you two, but they're my friends. So, it's my business when it comes to them, alright?"

I frowned, trying to work out her logic as she continued.

"Edward, Bella is really anxious about what happened between you guys the last time you saw her. I still don't know what's going on, but just take it easy, okay?"

I nodded grimly, and she smiled, turning to Jasper.

"And Jasper … as for you … it's about bloody time you got off your arse and decided to sort your shit out."

I laughed as Emmett snorted beer through his nose in surprise. He held his beer out away from his body as he wiped his nose on his suit sleeve. Rose slapped him on the arm.

"Emmett, use a tissue," she scolded him.

He looked at her incredulously, "Since when do I carry tissues around with me, for fuck's sakes?"

Rose fished a tissue out of her clutch and handed it to him, then turned to address Jasper once more, who was looking on in amusement.

"Okay, so that's all I wanted to say. Just explain things to Alice and don't fuck it up again, okay?"

Jasper nodded. "Rose, don't worry. It's all under control," he said confidently.

Rose sighed. "I hope so."

I looked around the hall anxiously. "So Rose, where are they?"

She peered at me over the rim of her glass as she took a sip. Lowering it, she replied nonchalantly, "They're around here somewhere. In fact, I think I saw them chatting with your parents."

"Really? Maybe I should go and find Mum and Dad," I said as I continued to look around.

"I'll come with you," Jasper offered, and I nodded at him.

"See you in a bit, guys. Are we on your table?" I asked Rose.

She nodded. "Yep, good luck."

Jasper and I made our way across the hall, searching for our parents. Suddenly, I heard my Mum's laugh. Craning my head around, I saw her standing with Dad, their backs to us. I nudged Jasper.

"There they are," I said, and together, we headed over.

As we approached, I could slowly make out the form of Alice, who was chatting happily with my Dad. I stepped up next to Mum and put my arm around her shoulder. She looked over, surprised, but then smiled and leaned up to kiss me on the cheek.

"Hello, Sweetheart. Don't you look handsome tonight!" She looked over at Jasper. "You _both _look handsome."

"Hey Mum, Dad."

Dad looked over and grinned. "Boys … good to see you. I was just telling Alice that you would be here soon."

I looked over at Alice, who was simultaneously clutching her beer and purse, whilst looking everywhere but at Jasper. She glanced up at me.

"Hi Edward … Jasper," she greeted us timidly, her eyes never meeting his.

"Hey Al," I said.

Jasper stepped forward. "Hi, Alice. It's good to see you. It's … been a while."

Her eyes dropped as she tucked some hair behind her ear.

My Mum clasped my hand. "Well, I need a drink, Edward. Would you be so kind as to come with me to the bar?"

I nodded and started to lead her over. She stopped suddenly, turning around to Dad.

"You too," she prodded.

He turned, surprised, from Alice and Jasper. "Huh?"

She sighed. "_Carlisle_, I need you to come to the bar with me, please."

He glanced over at them again, and then turned to us. "Oh yeah, sure," he mumbled, following us over.

I leaned on the counter and ordered the drinks. I had just passed a beer to Dad, when I heard Mum exclaim.

"Bella, dear. How lovely to see you again."

I immediately turned and was faced with Bella, who stood next to my Mum, smiling.

"Hi, Esme. It's great to see you, too."

"Bella, this is my husband, Carlisle."

I watched as she held her hand out to Dad. "Mr. Cullen, it's good to finally meet you."

He chuckled and took her hand to shake it. "Hi, Bella; it's great to meet you too, but call me Carlisle, okay? I hear from Esme that you've been doing some work at our place already?"

She shyly glanced in my direction and turned back to Dad. "You heard right."

Dad looked over appraisingly at me before replying, "Have my boys been behaving themselves?"

Bella laughed. "Of course. I have had the pleasure of their company a couple of times, and I can assure you that they are perfect gentlemen."

Dad peered slyly in my direction with one eyebrow raised. Yeah, he knew me alright. I ignored him, instead choosing to thoroughly check out the beautiful woman standing in front of me. She was dressed in a short, black dress. It was sleeveless on one side and slanted down across her chest with no sleeve or strap whatsoever on the other, then it followed the curves of her body all the way down to mid-thigh, where it stopped and her bare legs began. My eyes lazily followed the smooth skin past her thighs and calves, down to her delicate feet, which were clad in very high, black heels. I smirked and took the same path back up her body to her face.

Looking directly into her eyes, I said lowly, "I can assure you, Dr. Swan, that the pleasure has been all mine."

Dad cleared his throat as Bella blushed, darting her eyes away from my gaze. I watched as Mum placed her hand on Dad's arm.

"Carlisle, there's Tim. Didn't you want to talk to him about the poker club?" she said as she tried to hide her grin.

Dad laughed lightly. "Did I?" He looked over at Mum, smirking slightly.

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, Carlisle, I think you do." She flicked her eyes over at me and then discreetly nodded her head in Bella's direction, but my Dad wasn't going to make it easy.

"Are you alright, Esme? Is there something wrong with your eye?" he asked, grinning widely at her.

She huffed, and he chuckled again.

"I guess I could have a chat with him about it. It was nice to meet you, Bella. I hope you have a good time tonight … and that my son continues to behave himself."

I looked down at the floor and rubbed my hand across my face in an effort to hold back my laughter as I saw Mum drag him away. Eventually, I looked back up at Bella who looked mortified.

"Don't worry," I said to her as her head snapped back in my direction. "Mum only lets him out on special occasions."

She laughed then stepped closer to me, her face becoming more serious.

"Edward … look, I just want to apologise for what happened last week."

I held up my hand. "Bella please, don't apologise, alright? Just … are you okay?"

She looked at me gratefully and nodded. "I am now, thanks."

I stared at her for a moment as her face brightened.

"So, how's Gus? I haven't seen him in a while."

I chuckled. "I think he misses you."

She giggled. "He's so adorable. Maybe I should come out soon to see how Tanya is getting on? I wouldn't want him to pine, after all."

I shook my head, smiling wryly. "No, we wouldn't want that."

I watched as she smirked and looked around the room, biting her lip gently. Slowly, I reached over and removed her glass from her hand. She looked up at me questioningly. I placed the glass on the bar behind me and moved my hand back to lightly take hold of hers.

"Dance with me?" I asked softly.

She looked around her nervously. "Edward, nobody is dancing yet."

I shook my head. "I don't care."

Tugging gently, I pulled her behind me to the middle of room. Not caring about the people around us, I grasped her hand tighter and lifted it to the middle of my chest. My other hand snaked around her tiny waist, resting at the base of her spine. Her arm timidly rose and came to rest gingerly at the back of my jacket collar. Her wide, brown eyes were looking up at me.

She was so beautiful. It was an arsehole thing to say, but I'd never actually considered a woman truly beautiful before. I'd definitely been attracted to them. I'd taken them out, slept with them, and even had short relationships. But I'd never been drawn to someone as much as I was to her. Moving my hand from her back, I slid it around to the front of her dress, stroking the bare skin of her shoulder with the side of my index finger, as I felt her sharp intake of breath.

"I like this," I murmured.

Her eyelids lowered as she followed the gentle caress of my finger.

"What?" she whispered.

My finger glided up her arm to her elbow as I once again, lowered my hand to grasp her waist.

"Your dress. You look incredible."

Her eyes lifted to meet mine. "Thank you," she said quietly.

"You're welcome."

Her lips lifted into a shy smile, and suddenly, her eyes lit up with delight as she spotted something at the other side of the room.

"Edward … look."

I peered over my shoulder looking for whatever had caught her eye, when I noticed Alice and Jasper standing closely together in the far corner. I took a deep breath of relief as I noticed her pressed against him, his palm on her face, her hand placed over it. I smiled and turned back to Bella, a wide smile on her face.

"I'm so glad for her."

"You really care about her, don't you?" I asked.

She nodded. "Of course. Both her and Rose. They have done so much for me since I moved here."

I pulled her closer, my arm around her back tightening slightly. Her face moved towards my chest as she turned her head to the side, and rested it there. The fingers on the hand around my neck stretched out, delving into the hair at my collar. I could feel the tips of her nails at the base of my hairline, sending a wave of tremors down my back. Unexpectedly, I felt a slight tap on my shoulder. I turned my head to see Dad standing behind me.

"Sorry to do this, but your mother wanted me to tell you that it's time for us to sit down for our meal," he said in a low voice.

Suddenly, I became aware of the other people around us. A few were ignoring us, others looking discreetly and smiling. One however, was staring directly at me, an intense look of disapproval on her face. I sighed. Jane.

I lowered my head to where Bella rested against my chest, her eyes closed. "Bella?"

"Yeah?" she mumbled into my chest.

I squeezed her slightly. "Baby?" I whispered, the word out before I even realised I'd said it.

Her head shot up, eyes wide. I cringed, a blush creeping across my face for probably the first time in my life.

"Uh … it's time for us to sit down for dinner."

She moved back, removing her hands from me and looked around her. It seemed as though she had forgotten about everyone else there as well.

"Oh, okay."

Together, we walked towards the table that already seated my parents and our friends. Jasper was lounging back in his chair, an arm draped casually across the back of Alice's seat, an animated smile on his face. Alice was involved in a conversation with my Mum, her hand holding Jasper's on his thigh. I held Bella's chair out for her and then sat down next to my brother. He turned to me.

"Get a bit distracted for a while, little brother?" he snickered quietly.

"Eat shit and die," I murmured back as he chuckled lowly. Then I looked over at Dad, whose eyebrows were raised in our direction. I shook my head slightly. He always knew.

"So Bella, how are you settling in so far?" Dad asked.

She leaned back into her seat and folded her hands together in her lap, smiling. "Actually, really well. Thankfully, I haven't come across any major issues yet."

As she responded, she crossed her legs casually, the hem of her dress riding up slightly to reveal more of her thigh. My fingers itched to reach out and stroke it. I forced my eyes back to the table, to find Emmett staring at me, a knowing look on his face. I gave him my innocent 'what?' face, and he looked away, shaking his head, grinning.

As Dad continued to talk with Bella, I felt Mum move closer to me and lean into my side.

"She's a lovely girl, Edward," she spoke into my ear.

I looked at her and smiled. "Who?"

She laughed lightly and nudged me. "You know exactly who I'm talking about."

I smiled widely. "Yeah she is, isn't she?"

Her face lit up, and she opened her mouth to speak, but then it fell immediately as she looked over my shoulder.

"Oh, dear."

I frowned, confused. "What?"

"Hello, Edward."

Fuck. I knew that voice anywhere, and I _really _didn't want to turn around to face it. Not tonight. Not when everything was going so well. Grudgingly, I turned to see Jane standing directly behind Bella's chair.

"Hello, Jane."

She looked around the table at everyone, smiling sweetly at my parents.

"Lovely to see you again, Mr. and Mrs. Cullen. Living in town must agree with you; you're both looking so well."

My Dad nodded, taking a drink of his beer. He couldn't stand Jane. My Mum forced a smile.

"Why thank you, Jane. Are you here with your parents?"

"I am, actually. However, I've been kept very busy, being on the committee and all," she responded, and then she looked over at me. "It's good to see you up and dancing, Edward. It would be lovely if you could save me one for later too? I'm sure you'd like to dance with someone tonight who has a sense of rhythm."

Next to me I could feel my Mum bristle as she took offence to Jane's snide remark. I opened my mouth to respond, but before I could Bella turned in her seat to face Jane.

"Why hello, Jane. How lovely to see you again." She smiled sweetly.

Jane narrowed her eyes. "Dr. Swan. I thought you'd be too busy to come tonight, or are you not getting that much work?"

I clenched my jaw, extremely pissed off now. However, I instantly calmed as Bella reached her hand out and placed it gently on my thigh that was next to hers. I watched as Jane followed the movement with her eyes, pure rage filling them.

"No, not at all. I've been extremely busy, but thank you for your concern."

The two women looked at each other, neither saying a word. I could see the others at the table watching the exchange closely, with my Dad and Rose barely able to contain their glee. It was looking as though the stand-off was never going to end, when a voice piped up.

"Ah Jane, I should have known you'd be here."

We all looked over to see Fran standing next to Jane, a look of disapproval on her face. Jane sighed loudly and looked at her.

"I've taken care of the set up, Mrs. Cope. Surely, that's all you'll be needing from me tonight?" she asked contemptuously.

Fran raised her eyebrow at her. "Well, I do have some more jobs for you this evening. Why don't you leave these lovely people to their meal, and get the work done while the night is still young?"

Jane sighed again. "Fine," she snapped and turned to stalk off.

Fran smiled at us and shook her head. "Goodness gracious me, that girl is a right pain in my arse."

Dad and Emmett started to roar with laughter as Rose laughed loudly at the ceiling. I smiled widely, looking over at Bella, who stood to give Fran a hug.

"Hi Fran, thank God you came over here when you did."

Fran held onto Bella's hands and smiled fondly. "Don't worry; I keep my eye on that one." She looked over at me slyly, then back to Bella and winked. "Enjoy the rest of your night, sweetheart."

Bella grinned at her as Fran gave us a small wave and moved to her own table. We turned back to each other and chuckled.

"God, I love Fran," Dad said, still laughing.

"She's the only one I know that can keep Jane under control, that's for sure," Alice sighed, leaning into Jasper's shoulder.

Rose smiled over in Bella's direction. "I don't know about that. Bella wasn't exactly backing down."

Bella looked uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, I just don't like the way she treats people. How has she managed to get away with it for so long?"

Dad smiled at her. "Don't apologise Bella. She's been that way for as long as we've known her. If she has a go at you, you have every right to say something to her. It definitely won't offend anyone at this table."

She nodded, still a little uncomfortable as she smiled at him. "Thanks."

**Bella**

I leaned my elbows on the table and looked around at everyone as we finished our meals. Carlisle had turned in his seat to have a discussion with another farmer at the table behind him, while Esme talked to his wife. Jasper and Alice were turned towards one another, his hand on her lower back as he talked to her softly. Alice's eyes flickered towards me, and she smiled, her eyes happy, her face relaxed. I returned the smile, my hands clasped around my beer glass, making patterns in the condensation. Rose had her head on Emmett's shoulder, her eyes closed, while he chatted with someone standing next to his chair.

I continued to draw patterns on my glass with my fingers, when I felt Edward lean in next to my ear.

"What are you thinking?" he whispered.

I swallowed as my ear tingled and tickled with his warm breath, and I turned to face him. He was staring intently at my hands on the glass.

"I'm thinking about how happy everyone is."

He leaned in further to take one of my hands and held it in both of his on the table. He studied it for a moment.

"Your fingers are wet," he murmured.

I watched him as he slowly started stroking my fingers one at a time, removing the dampness that had come from the glass. When they were dry, his fingers moved higher, running a feathery trail to the inside of my wrist, causing goose bumps to break out up to my shoulder. His eyes followed his fingers intently.

"So soft," he said under his breath.

I swallowed. It was hard to reconcile the way I felt about this man with the way I felt about myself. There was a part of me that wanted what he so obviously did, so badly. But there was still so much of me that I couldn't give away yet. I couldn't give him what he wanted right now; it just wouldn't be fair, would it?

I curled my fingers, closing them over his own. "Edward," I said softly.

He let go of my hand immediately. "Sorry."

I reached out and put my hand on his arm. "No, please don't do that. I just don't want to confuse you. I don't want you to think that I can do this yet. _I'm _sorry."

He placed his other hand on mine and squeezed. "Don't ever be sorry. Just keep being honest with me, okay?"

"Okay."

He smiled.

**Oo – oO**

I stood outside with Edward. Rose and Emmett had already started walking towards the car, and I hung back deliberately to have a moment with him alone.

"So, I should probably go," I said, turning to face him.

He looked at me, both hands in his pockets, his tie already removed and the top three buttons of his shirt undone.

"Okay."

"I just … I wanted you to know … calling me baby -"

He stepped towards me. "Bella, I'm so sorry. It just came out -"

I placed my palm on his chest. "No, I wanted you to know that I … I liked it."

His face split into a breathtaking grin as he gently put his hand on my cheek, his thumb stroking tenderly.

"Yeah?" he breathed.

"Yeah."

His thumb continued its path as his eyes dropped to my lips, before returning back to my eyes.

"Goodnight, Bella," he whispered.

"Goodnight, Edward."

I turned slowly in the direction of Rose and Emmett, and started walking. I reached the car and opened the door, looking back at where we had been standing. Edward was still there, his hands back in his pockets, his eyes fixed on me. I gave a tiny wave, and he nodded slightly, one side of his mouth lifting in a crooked smile, and I got into the car.

When we drove away, he was still standing there.

**Oo – oO**

**xox**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I own the rest.**

**Thanks once again to the brilliantness (is that a word?) of my betas – LoriAnn TwiFan and Capricious C. Thanks for holding my hand through this one ladies, and for sharing that little bit of TMI. I love my lemons with an extra twist of RL.**

**Enjoy … however, if you are not of the legal age to read this … don't. :)**

**Chapter 9**

**Bella**

"Come on, shortie. Out with it!"

I sat in a corner table at the pub with the girls, and Rose had just issued this demand to Alice. It was Friday afternoon, and we had just left the surgery for the day, deciding to stop at the pub for a drink with Alice.

Alice sat back in her chair and smiled coyly. "What do you mean?"

Rose huffed. "You know exactly what I mean, Alice! Something obviously happened between you and Jasper Saturday night. You were all over each other, and I have it from a very good source that you left together."

Alice smiled. "We talked, a lot. He explained to me that what I thought I saw that night and what actually happened were two very different things." She rolled her eyes. "He was _comforting _Maria, not kissing her."

Rose reached over and placed her hand on Alice's arm. "We all knew that, honey."

"I know now! That's what I said to him. _Why _didn't he just tell me that? Anyway, he was mortified, I was a mess and it just got worse the longer he put it off." She smiled again, widely. "It's all sorted now, though. And yes, he did take me home. But no -" She shot a look at Rose before she could say anything. "He didn't stay. We're going to take things slowly."

Rose smiled. "I'm happy for you, Alice. Really, I am."

Alice smiled contentedly and looked in my direction. "So, Bella. What was going on between you and Edward?"

I shook my head slightly and smiled. "Nothing really."

Rose laughed. "God, Bella. You are so hopeless at bullshitting. I saw you both dancing, _and _he was doing some pretty fancy hand holding at the table after dinner. So … what's going on?"

I leaned forward and placed my forearms on the table. "To be honest, I'm not sure." I looked up to see them both staring at me intently. "I really like him, a lot. He's so easy to talk to, such an amazingly nice guy, and … he's really gorgeous." I placed my palm on my face as I felt myself going red.

Alice giggled. "Bella, you're so cute when you talk about Edward."

Rose leaned towards me with a devious grin on her face. "I hear he's a hero in the sack."

I slapped both of my hands over my face as Alice slapped a cackling Rose on the arm.

"Rose!" Alice scolded, trying to hold in her own laughter.

"What? I did hear that! You remember that nurse, Irina?" Alice nodded as I removed my hands from my face. "She told me one night when she was here for a drink that Edward was _amazing_. Amazing, Bella … you hear that?"

I nodded and lifted my glass to my mouth, grateful to hide behind it for a moment.

"Well, it's good to hear that, I guess. Although it will definitely be a while before we do anything like that."

Rose laughed lightly. "Are you coming with us tonight to the farm for a swim in the dam?"

I nodded. "Yeah, Edward called me this morning. They're doing a BBQ first?"

Rose smiled, satisfied. "They sure are. And don't be surprised if, after tonight, you may think a little differently about the whole sex thing."

I frowned, curious. "Why's that?"

She leaned forward again, looking me in the eye. "Swim shorts, Bella. Wet, hard bodies. Swimming with Edward." She raised her eyes to the ceiling dreamily. "His arm wrapped around your waist, sliding against your skin in the water. Feeling the graze of his leg hair against the front of your thighs-"

Alice dropped her hand on the table. "Jesus, Rose. That's enough." She stood up. "Let's go; I think I need some fresh air."

Rose looked smug. "Told you."

**Edward**

I rested my head against the back of the outdoor chair. We were sitting out back on the deck overlooking the hills. I was feeling a little more relaxed now, after some food and a few beers. Leading up to tonight, I was anxious. I desperately wanted to spend more time with Bella, but I didn't want to scare her away or make her feel pressured. I knew it was a fine line. I peered down at the floor beneath the table. Gus was sprawled out on his side, staring adorably up at Bella. I shook my head and lazily turned to my right, where she was sitting.

"Do you need another drink?" I murmured.

She turned to face me and smiled. "No thanks; I'm good. Plus, if I have another one, I won't be able to drive, and you'll be stuck with me for the night."

I raised my eyebrows slightly because that wouldn't really be such a bad thing. She blushed lightly and looked away, realising where my mind had gone.

"So! Are we swimming, or what?" Emmett asked, putting his beer down on the table and standing up.

Jasper and I stood and started clearing everything away inside. As we stood in the kitchen, Rose called out.

"Hey, Edward? Can we go get changed in your room?"

"Uh, yeah sure," I responded, distracted by the fact that there would be a naked Bella in my bedroom, and I wouldn't be there to see it.

I watched as the three girls made their way into my room, closing the door behind them. I continued to stare at the door as Jasper nudged me, pulling me away from my dirty thoughts. I looked over at him as he raised his eyebrows at me.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" he asked, grinning at me.

"What do you reckon?" I huffed, stacking plates into the dishwasher and making my way out back to the deck where Emmett was leaning against the railing. Jasper followed me.

Emmett looked out at the rolling hills, the sheep grazing contentedly at the sparse green. They were huddled in groups under the large gum trees that dotted the area. Over to the left, a rabbit darted out, stealing a drink from the trough, then smoothly sliding under the trough for some much needed cooling off. The sun had yet to start setting due to daylight saving. The day had been hot, as usual, and there was no sign of a breeze.

Emmett looked over at us. "You two are the luckiest bastards living around here. You know that, don't you?"

We both nodded and took in the view again, quietly. Eventually, from behind us, we heard the sounds of the girls coming back. We turned to face them.

"Alright, finally! Let's go!" Emmett turned and swiftly moved down the steps onto the rear yard, Rose following him.

Alice moved forward as Jasper held out his hand to lead her down after them.

I looked at Bella standing in front of me – in a pink bikini and cut off shorts. I pushed off the railing with my hands and walked towards her. She darted her eyes away from my face, looking down nervously as I held out my hand.

"Come on, let's go."

**Bella**

Goddamn her, Rose was right.

We made the short walk along the dirt path down to the dam. Gus had streaked ahead of us, knowing exactly where we were headed. I had to laugh at him as we reached it and he sprinted straight for the edge, no hesitation, and dived in. I watched as he surfaced and immediately began to swim confidently towards the other side. Edward chuckled next to me.

"He looks so happy," I said to him, still watching the heeler as he swam around in circles.

Edward spread a blanket out and sat on it, patting the ground for me to join him.

"I'll never forget the first and only time I took him to the beach. He did exactly the same thing, threw himself in and then started swimming to the other side. Jasper and I were calling out to him for ages until he realised there _was _no other side and eventually turned around to come back in. I was getting worried."

I laughed and leaned back on my hands, my legs out stretched out in front of me. Beside us, Emmett, Jasper and the girls were ripping off t-shirts and pants and running towards the water. Halfway there, Jasper turned to us.

"You coming in?" he shouted.

"In a sec," Edward called back.

Jasper shrugged and jumped in. I watched as they swam around in the fresh water, splashing and throwing a tennis ball. Gus had joined them in chasing the ball and was barking loudly.

I looked over at Edward. "Should we go in?"

He smiled. "Definitely."

He stood and held out his hand to help me up. I slowly removed my shorts, trying desperately not to watch as Edward pulled his t-shirt over his head, leaving him in only board shorts – riding deliciously low on his hips. He took my hand.

"Come on."

I let him lead me to the edge, and he stopped and to look at me.

"Okay, it's only shallow for about ten feet, then it's a fairly steep drop to about five feet deep. It stays around that and gradually deepens to about fifteen feet. How well do you swim?"

I looked at him and smiled widely. "You want to find out?"

He grinned and lunged at me, grabbing me around the waist and throwing me over his shoulder. I screamed and clutched at his back with both hands as he took off into the water. The others had moved towards the middle of the dam, so Edward ran in until the water reached below his waist, then stopped.

I held onto him harder, laughing. "Edward, what are you doing?"

He stood still, holding me around the thighs. "Hmm … I'm still trying to decide. You want to go in slowly or you want it fast?"

I swallowed. _Jesus._ Not a good question for him to ask when my face is basically hovering in front of his arse. I wanted to bite it.

"Slowly."

"Slowly? Are you sure about that, Bella?"

I hesitated. "Yes?"

He chuckled and started to slide my legs down his body, moving my own up and over his shoulder. His hands moved over my thighs, around the side of my bikini bottoms and glided up my hips to my ribs as I gradually moved down until my feet touched the ground, my face inches from his chest.

He leaned in, his hands still on my ribs. "Cold?" he murmured.

I shook my head, feeling the warmth of his palms resting on my body, just under my breasts.

He leaned in further until I could feel his legs against mine. _Bloody Rose_.

"Perfect?" he murmured again.

I lifted my hands and placed them on his sides just above his hips, feeling the muscles clench in response.

"Perfect," I whispered, wanting so badly to lean forward and run the tip of my tongue through the sparse trail of hair in front of me. I flexed my fingers a little, pushing the tips into his skin harder.

His forehead dropped to the top of my head. "Fuck, Bella."

I closed my eyes, feeling pounding begin in my chest and a pulsing throb between my legs.

"Oi!" I spun my head around as Edward lifted his in the direction of the voice.

Emmett was standing a few feet away with Rose on his back, Jasper and Alice behind them. "We're just going back for a bit to warm up."

Edward nodded as Emmett started walking towards the shore, then turned and winked. "Oh, and sorry to interrupt. Please … carry on."

Edward chuckled as Rose and Alice giggled. Jasper looked at me and mouthed a 'sorry,' and I just shook my head and smiled at him.

They walked off with their towels towards the main house as Edward turned back towards me, and I was directly in front of his chest once again. As a result of the interruption, our hands were at our sides, and we were standing a foot apart.

"Sorry about that," he said, but I couldn't look up.

I watched, mesmerised, as his chest moved with each breath, the hair on it glistening in the sunlight, my heart beginning to pound again.

Edward lowered his head slightly. "Bella, are you okay? We can go back if you like?"

I squeezed my eyes shut. Exactly how much longer could I deny this? Really? I wanted him, _God _how I wanted him. What's so _wrong _with that? Wasn't I allowed to be happy? I opened my eyes again and held my breath. Was I giving in? I lifted my hands and placed them back on his hips.

You're damn right I was.

I gave in to what my body was dying for and leant forward, grasping his waist a little harder. Opening my mouth, I oh, so slowly dragged the tip of my tongue between his pectoral muscles, humming as I felt the tickle of the hair on my tongue and my lips. Above me, I heard Edward exhale a gust of air in surprise as he moved his mouth to my ear.

"Bella?"

I turned my face to his and kissed gently where his neck met his shoulder. His hands immediately grasped my lower back.

"Bella … are you sure?" he asked hesitantly.

I slid my hands up his torso over his shoulders, which were bent slightly as he leant into me.

"Please, Edward," I whispered. "Please, I'm so scared, but I want you so badly-"

My words were cut off as he gripped me firmly and yanked my body towards his. His lips met mine hungrily, moving desperately, feverishly. I snaked my arms around his neck, my hands in his hair, grasping fiercely. His lips parted, and I instantly responded, sliding my tongue out to meet his, drawing his own back into my mouth. He groaned lowly and wrapped his arms around me tightly, my chest and stomach crushed against his. His mouth left mine and made its way down my throat and neck, nipping, kissing and biting lightly. I whimpered at the first bite, the feel of his teeth pushing into my flesh causing a shot of tingles directly to my nipples. I felt them pucker and harden, and immediately began to slide them slightly against the firmness of his chest, the feeling exquisite through the thin material of my bikini.

Edward groaned again. "Jesus, I can feel you." His mouth moved across to my shoulder, lips apart, tongue making tight circles against my skin. "Fuck, Bella. I want to do this to every inch of your body."

I tightened my arms around him as his hands moved down my back to grasp my lower body and pull it against him. I could already feel his hardness against my lower stomach, and I was agitated, because it wasn't where I needed to feel it. I bent my knee and lifted it, trying to hook it around his calf. He slid one hand down and grabbed it, lifting it and me up so I could curl it around his waist, along with the other. I immediately clenched the muscles in my thighs and ground slowly against the hardness of him, sliding up from the base to the tip, where it hit my clitoris. I stopped there, grinding rigidly, firmly, in tight, divine circles.

I felt Edward's hand fisted in the back of my bikini top, the fingers of the other hand clenched in the strings of my bikini bottoms, two fingers splayed out, pushing me hard against him.

"Bella … shit. Baby, please don't stop – fuck, you're gonna make me come."

I moaned at his words and pushed harder, hearing him groan deeply in response. He pushed his face into my neck, his breath hot against my skin. I leaned my face into his shoulder, my mouth open, tasting his skin as my fingers gripped his hair. I could feel throbbing, a pulsing where our lower bodies met, but had no idea if it was his pulse or mine. Suddenly, my body tensed, my hips thrusting forward frenziedly as my body rushed towards the orgasm it knew was coming. I clenched my eyes shut, my mouth opening wide against his skin.

"That's it, baby, you're there. Come on, I want to feel you."

I tensed; the wave of pleasure rippling through my body as my mouth opened and let out a gentle sigh and moan, followed by a deep 'ohhh'. I opened my eyes as the pulsating began, feeling the quiver and throb of my clitoris as it pushed lightly against Edward at the tip. Next to my ear, Edward let out a deep, guttural groan, his pelvis undulating firmly against me as he clutched me to him. I could feel the pulsing of his orgasm, the first time that I had ever felt it so strongly, and it made me want to grind myself on him all over again. Eventually, his movements slowed to a quiver, a small jerk now and again, until he stopped and wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closely to him, kissing me gently, reverently, on my neck. I sighed and burrowed into him, feeling lazy and content to never move again. We stayed there for a while, breathing quietly against one another, until he moved his face back to look at me.

His hand came up and caressed my cheek. "_That _was fucking amazing."

I giggled, and he grinned at me, kissing me lightly on my nose.

"So you didn't mind?" I asked him hesitantly.

He looked at me incredulously. "_Bella, _I have been wanting to kiss you for so long. Now _that_, that was so much better." He grinned cheekily as I slapped him lightly against the chest and moved forward to kiss him gently. I leaned my forehead down onto his shoulder and closed my eyes, thinking. After a few minutes, he stroked down the side of my cheek and I pulled my head back to look at him. He was frowning slightly.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly.

I looked down nervously and ran my fingers lightly through the hair on his chest. "I'm scared." I looked up to find him looking intently at me.

"Don't be. Don't ever be. Not with me."

I bit my lower lip to stop it quivering as my eyes filled with tears.

Edward pulled me to him. "Hey, don't cry. I never want you to cry."

I pulled back, wanting to speak, but not able to yet. My throat ached from the tightness, and I took a deep breath before looking at him.

"I think I need to tell you a story."

**Oo – oO**

**xox**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight.**

**Thanks again to the lovely LoriAnnTwiFan and CapriciousC. Thanks for your help and support ladies, especially with this one xxx**

**I hope this chapter helps you understand Bella a little more. Just be gentle with her when you read this. x**

**Chapter 10**

**Edward**

I walked from the kitchen into the lounge to where Bella was waiting for me. After getting out of the water earlier, we made our way back to the house slowly. I had pulled Jasper aside, and he agreed to take the others back to Alice's place for the rest of the evening. I was extremely grateful. We had cleaned ourselves up, and though it was a warm evening, and a breeze had picked up, leaving a slight chill in the air. While Bella was in the shower, I lit a small fire in the fireplace and made my way into the kitchen to get some drinks.

Walking into the lounge, I placed the drinks on the coffee table and sat down on the lounge next to Bella, angling my body towards hers. She was sitting cross legged, hands clenched in her lap, face down. I put my hand on her shoulder, rubbing softly.

"Hey, are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to tell me anything, Bella."

She shook her head. "No, I want to tell you. Especially after what just happened, I need to."

I slid closer to her on the lounge and put my arm around her shoulder. She looked up at me timidly and took a deep breath.

"I met Peter over eighteen months ago. It was by chance that I was in the bank one day doing some things when he happened to come in. He worked there – well not at that branch, but for the bank. He was in their legal department and was dealing with an issue at the branch. I dropped some of my things as I was walking out, and he helped me pick them up … it went from there."

She turned towards me and curled her legs underneath her, leaning her head on my arm.

"We started seeing each other, and it was great. We had a lot in common, and he was a lot of fun to be around. It was difficult to spend a lot of time together; his work kept him busy, and my work has fairly unusual hours, so that was an issue. But at first, I didn't mind. After about a year though, he was going away for work more often, and it became harder and harder to see each other. Whenever I would try to talk to him about it, he would get angry and tell me that there was nothing he could do. I eventually wondered if it would be best if we split. I talked to him about it, but he begged me to stay with him. He said that things would change, that he couldn't be away from me, that he loved me too much. So I stayed."

She looked down at her lap, and I put my hand over hers gently. She looked up and softly smiled.

"A month later, I came down with the flu. I was so sick, and I rarely get ill, so I went to the doctor." She looked down again and her voice wavered. "I found out I was pregnant."

I swallowed quickly and started slowly stroking her hand, knowing that this was only the beginning. Her eyes flickered back up to mine. They were anxious.

"I was nervous about telling Peter; I honestly didn't know how he'd react. I decided to tell him that night. It was … bad. He was so angry. He accused me of getting pregnant deliberately, of trying to trap him into leaving his job, into marrying him. I tried to tell him, explain to him, that it was an accident, but he wouldn't believe me. He … picked up his keys. He told me he was going home, and he wasn't coming back. That -"

Her fingers tightened around mine as she once again looked down at her lap.

"He told me that unless I had an abortion, we were over."

I took a breath and closed my eyes. What a fucking bastard. No wonder she wanted nothing to do with me at first. I slid closer to her until she was against me, and I pulled her into my arms. She came willingly, climbing across my lap until she was curled against me, her head on my chest. I kissed the top of it. She stroked my chest as she continued.

"I told him there was no way I would do that, and he left. He was in a rage … I had never seen him so angry before, and I didn't know what to do."

She stopped, and I felt her body tense slightly. "I decided to keep it … the baby. I knew that I could do it on my own and … I was determined."

She paused again and wrapped her hand around my shirt. "It was a week later, and there was a knock on my door. I hadn't heard from Peter, and I was both hoping and worrying that it was him. It wasn't. It was a woman."

She tilted her face and looked at me timidly. "It was his wife."

I let out a deep breath. "Shit."

She laughed bitterly. "Yes. I had no idea. That whole time, I had no idea. But afterwards … it all made sense. The long hours, the difficulties seeing each other, the absolute _panic _and rage when he found out about the pregnancy." She shook her head in disgust.

"What did she say?"

"Nothing, really. She just wanted to see me, to see who I was. Peter didn't tell her, she found out through his text messages on his mobile. I told her that I had no idea he was married, and she … she cried." She looked up at me. "I couldn't tell her about the baby. I couldn't do that to her."

I put my hand out and gently pushed her hair over her shoulder. "What happened?" I asked softly.

She closed her eyes. "Nothing. I never heard from her again, and I didn't hear anything else from Peter. Two weeks later, I woke in the middle of the night in pain, a deep, dragging sensation. It hurt … a lot. I knew something was wrong straight away." She opened her eyes and looked at me. "I lost the baby."

"Jesus, Bella. I'm so sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't. It's … well, it's not okay. But, I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

I frowned slightly. The way she was speaking about it all was very … detached. As if she had never really been a part of it all, as though she was telling someone else's story. She had never really grieved, never allowed herself sadness. Had anyone ever talked to her about this?

I took her hands in mine. She looked up at me apprehensively. "What?" she asked.

"Are you okay, though?"

She sighed, not answering.

I persevered. "Bella?"

She shrugged her shoulders. "I just can't believe I was so stupid all that time. That I didn't take notice of any of the clues that were so obviously there."

"Bella, you had _no way _of knowing that he was married. He lied to you, and he lied to his wife. You were both victims in all of this." I took a breath and asked hesitantly, "What about the baby?"

She looked sharply at me. "What about the baby?"

"How do you feel?"

She looked at me. "I just … don't think about it. It happened … that's it."

I stroked her cheek gently. "But that's not it, is it?" I asked softly.

She closed her eyes and sat for a moment before opening them again. "Edward, do you think … do you think it knew?" she whispered.

"Knew what, baby?" I asked her softly.

A tiny tear escaped, trickling slowly down her cheek. "That sometimes I wished … I wished I wasn't pregnant anymore."

"Oh, Bella."

Her face crumpled, and I immediately pulled her towards me, enveloping her in my arms. She clutched at my shirt, crying loud, wracking sobs, her tiny body heaving with the effort. I held her tightly to me, my eyes clenching shut as her sobbing continued. Had she ever allowed herself to cry like this over her baby? Had she ever just let go? I kissed and stroked her hair, a deep ache in my chest for this woman who I had grown to care for so quickly. Never in my life had I wanted to hurt someone like I wanted to hurt that son of a bitch who did this to her.

Her sobs slowly calmed as she lay against me and began to speak in a toneless voice. "I remember that night, they put me in the maternity ward at the hospital. I laid there all night listening to the cries of the newborn babies, listening to the laughter of their mothers. I remember calling Peter. He didn't answer, so I left a message telling him I was in hospital. He never called me back." I clenched my jaw, not wanting her to know the extent of my anger, as she continued. "When I was discharged, I went home and just kept … going. I went to work, I slept, I ate, but that was it. I didn't live. Three months later, I came here. I thought that by moving here, I could escape it all, just be on my own – like I wanted to be." She looked up at me as I looked down. "Then, I met you."

I smiled softly at her, stroking her back.

"Do you … that phone call here a while ago … do you hear from Peter often?" I asked cautiously.

She sighed. "Not until I came here. He has sent me a few messages, which I haven't read. The call I received from him here was the first one since … what happened."

I frowned. "What did he say?"

"He said he needed to talk to me. That he wanted to explain, that he missed me." She burrowed her face back into my chest as I clenched my jaw again in anger. Fucking arsehole. No wonder she lost it that day. I only wish I had known then.

We sat there for a while, my arms tight around her, lost in our own thoughts.

"Edward?" she whispered eventually.

"Yeah?" I murmured.

"Thank you."

I responded by tightening my grip on her as she turned on my lap, straddling me, resting her face against my neck. I kissed the top of her head, then leant my head against the back of the lounge, closing my eyes.

**Bella**

There was something warm and wet on my face. I moved slightly to get away, but it moved with me, breathing out harshly, shooting droplets of dampness on my cheek. I scrunched my eyes closed and burrowed my face into the pillow. The pillow? I quickly opened my eyes, and they darted furiously around me, my brain trying to decipher where exactly I was and what I was doing there.

My eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness, and they quickly landed upon the face of a dog. Gus. I sighed in relief as my mind caught up and realised that I was still at Edward's. I peered down to look at the bed I was lying on and saw Gus' body sprawled out next to me sleeping soundly, his nose in my face. I gingerly turned over in the bed and came face-to-face with Edward. He was also sleeping soundly next to me, his body turned on its side, his hands under his pillow.

I took the time to study him in the semi-darkness. The side of his face against the pillow scrunched slightly, his lashes long and dark on his cheeks, his face so peaceful. He looked like a little boy. We must have fallen asleep on the lounge, and he had moved us here during the night. I smiled. He was so perfect last night, just listening, never judging. It felt so good to be able to tell someone, to let all of that feeling out. I felt as though a huge weight that I had been carrying around for so long had finally left me. A sadness that had been keeping me still had shifted, and I was finally able to move.

I watched him again, really studying his face. He really was quite perfect. Smooth lips, gorgeous nose, amazing jaw, now sporting a bit of stubble. I reached out tentatively and touched it, slowly dragging the tip of my index finger along the roughness. He stirred slightly, rubbing his face into the side of his pillow, and I quickly pulled it back. I sighed and, once again, closed my eyes.

**Edward**

I opened my eyes. The sun was shining through the part in my bedroom curtains, directly into my face. I turned onto my back and looked over at Bella. She was awake, staring directly at me. I smiled.

"Hey you," I murmured, my voice gravelly from sleep.

She smiled back and whispered, "Hey."

I rolled over towards her, my upper body hovering above hers. She lay on her back staring up at me.

"How are you?" I asked quietly.

She reached up and ran her fingers through my hair. I closed my eyes.

"I'm good … really good. Thank you for last night."

I opened my eyes and looked into hers. For the first time, she looked calm and happy. There was no longer the tension there that was all too familiar when I looked at her. I leant down and kissed her nose.

"Anytime," I whispered, then wrapped my arms around her, rolling onto my back, pulling her on top of me. She came willingly.

"Edward?" she asked quietly as I stroked her hair.

"Yeah?"

"Did you undress me last night?"

I smirked. She was in yoga pants and a t-shirt when I carried her to my room. I knew she'd be too warm if I left her like that, so I took off her pants.

"Uh … I did. But I swear, I didn't look."

She giggled and bent her leg, sliding it against mine. I inwardly groaned and subtly moved my lower body away from hers, not wanting her to get the wrong idea.

"That's okay, I don't mind." Suddenly, she lifted her upper body and looked at the bed next to us. "Where's Gus gone?" she asked.

I rolled my eyes. "Chasing the birds probably, or the chooks. Why? Was he in here last night?"

She laughed again. "He was _up _here, Edward. He woke me up during the night with his breathing."

I laughed. "The little shit. He knows he's not supposed to be on the bed. It's 'cause you were here, you know that, right?"

She laid her head on my chest and laughed lightly. "I don't mind. He's cute. And at least he doesn't snore."

I grinned and grabbed her around the waist, tickling slightly. She squealed and tried to grab my hands.

"Is that right? Would you prefer that I wasn't here next time?" I asked, mercilessly tickling her.

She laughed loudly, still frantically grabbing at my hands. "NO! No! I take it back, you don't snore!" she shouted breathlessly.

I stopped, but didn't remove my hold. She straightened, laying across me, looking down at my face.

"Can I kiss you?" she asked quietly.

I stared at her, moving my hands around to clasp her back. Her t-shirt had moved up during our struggle and I slid them across her bare skin.

"Please."

She leaned down to brush her lips across mine softly, and I moved my hands up to clasp the back of her head, holding her face down firmly to mine. She moaned softly as my tongue came out to meet hers, and it was soft and warm and perfect. She pulled away after a moment and laid her head back down on my chest. I breathed deeply and held her to me. I thought back over the last twelve hours. So much had happened, but finally I was getting to where I wanted to be.

**xox**


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